Life of Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr

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LIFE

OF

SAINT CECILIA

VIRGIN AND MARTYR.

REVEREND PROSPER GUERANGER,

abbe' de solesmes.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.

Cantantitnis organis, Coecilia Domino decantabat dicens : Fiat cor nieum
immaculatum ut non confundar. — Offic, S. Cmcelia, V. A. M.

•0^

PHILADELPHIA.

FETEK P. CUNNINGHAM, Catholic Bookseller,

216 South Third Street.

1866.

V

ft

PERMISSU SUPERIORUM.

Entered according to Act of Conrress in the year 1866, by

PETER F. t.tjnmNGHAM,

in the Clerk's Office of the Distrct Jjourt of the United States,

in and for the Eastern, Djrtsirict of Pennsylvania.

Stereotyped by Theodore Brown, 605 Sansom street, Philadelphia.

PKEFACE.

In offering to the American public, a translation
of the life of St. Cecilia, by the learned and labori-
ous Dom Prosper Gueranger, the publisher feels
assured he has made a valuable addition to our too
narrow circle of Catholic literature.

The Church offers, in every age, in her Saints,
Apostles, and Martyrs, brilliant examples of virtue,
zeal, and heroic courage. While all are holy, there
are still some, whose lives present features, at once
so touching and sublime, that time can detract
nothing from the interest which attaches to their
names in every Catholic heart. Pre-eminent among
these, is St. Cecilia, the gentle queen of Sacred
Song, distinguished alike for her attachment to
holy Virginity, her apostolic zeal, and the "un-
faltering courage by which she won the martyr's
crown.

The author has followed with fidelity, the ancient
Acts of St. Cecilia, the authenticity of which the
reader will find satisfactorily defended in his pages.
For less important details, he has claimed the right
generally accorded to historians, of receiving prob-

(iii)

iv PREFACE.

able evidence, where certain proofs cannot be ob-
tained. On such authority, he has, for example,
assumed with the learned Bosio and others, that
the virtues of our Saint formed the crowning glory
of the illustrious family of Cecilia Metella. The
recital does not terminate with the death of Cecilia.
The discoveries of her tomb, in the ninth and six-
teenth centuries, form not the least interesting por-
tion of the work. The description of the church
which was once her dwelling, and the witness of
her sufferings and triumphs, brings those scenes so
vividly before us, that Cecilia seems to belong, as
all the Saints of God most truly do, as much to
our own day, as to the period when she still com-
bated on earth.

We will not speak of the pleasure and instruction
the author has afforded by his faithful pictures of
the celebrated Ways of Ancient Kome, and the
sacred cities of the dead, concealed in the holy
shades beneath. Fortius, and much other interest-
ing information, we refer the reader to the follow-
ing pages, content, if, by our own humble labors,
we have contributed to the edification of our Catho-
lic brethren, and to the glory of Him who is admi-
rable in His Saints.

The American Publisher.

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

PREFACE 3

CHAP. I. Alexander Severus. His Education. Tendency to Christian-
ity. Defects of Character 9

CHAP. II. Dispositions of the Magistrates of the Empire with regard to
Christianity. Ulpian. Unceasing trials immiuent for the Christians of
Rome 15

CHAP. III. Martyrs under Alexander Severus. Situation and solicitude
of Pope St. Urban. Progress of Christianity in Rome 21

CHAP. IV. Saint Cecilia. Family of the Cecilii. The Appian Way in
the Third Century 28

CHAP. V. House in which Cecilia passed her youth. She consecrates her
virginity to God. Her parents promise her in marriage. Valerian and
Tiburtius » 62

CHAP. VI. Anxiety of St. Cecilia at her approaching union with Valerian.
Celebration of the marriage. Confidence reposed in Valerian by Saint
Cecilia 58

CHAP. VII. Valerian repairs to Pope Saint Urban. He is baptized. His
return. Arrival of Tiburtius 68

CHAP. VIII. Interview of Tiburtius with St. Cecilia and Valerian. His
conversion and baptism 75

CHAP. IX. Alexander Severus leaves Rome. Violence exercised aeainst
the Christians. Valerian and Tiburtius are summoned before the Prefect
of Rome. Interrogatory of Tiburtius...., 89

CHAP. X. Interrogatory of Valerian. The two brothers are condemned
to death 96

CHAP. XI. Conversion of Maximus, Notary of Almachius. Cecilia's inter-
view with her husband and brother. Martyrdom of Saints Valerian and
Tiburtiui 108

5

6 CONTEXTS.

PAGE.
CHAP. XIT. Martyrdom of St. Maximus. Almachius sends for Cecilia,
and urges her to sacrifi>e to the idols. She refuses and converts the
Envoys of the Prefect. The Virgin appears before the Tribunal of Al-
machius HO

CHAP. XIII. Interrogatory of St. Cecilia 117

CHAP. XIV. Martyrdom of St. Cecilia 124

CHAP. XV. Martyrdom of St. Urban. Pontificate of St. Pontxanus. Death

of Alexander Severus 131

CHAP. XVI. Zeal of the Roman Pontiffs in collecting the Acts of the
Martyrs. The Memory of St.. Cecilia preserved in the Church of Rome.

Her Basiliaa . 139

CHAP. XVII. Compilation of the Acts of S. Cecilia, in the Fifth Century,
in their present form. Motives of this compilation. Canon of Pope St.

Gelasius upon the use of the Acts of the Martyrs 150

CHAP. XVIII. Testimonies of the Liturgies of the West in favor of the

Acts of St. Cecilia 158

CHAP. XIX. The Appian Way from the Fourth Century to the Ninth 167

CHAP. XX. Events relating to St. Cecilia and her Church throughout the

Seventh Century 176

CHAP. XXI. Events relating to Cecilia and her Basilica throughout the
Seventh and Eighth Centuries. In the Seventh, the bodies of the Martyrs

are disentered and translated to the Churches of Rome 189

CHAP. XXII. Discovery of Cecilia's body by Pope St. Paschal 198

CHAP. XXIII. Translation ot the bodies of Saints Cecilia, Valerian, Tibur-
tius, Maximus, Urban, and Lucius. St. Paschal' s munificence towards

the Basilica of St. Cecilia 210

CHAP. XXIV. Confirmation of the Acts of St. Cecilia by the cirum*
stances attending the discovery of her body. Digression upon the Relics

of St. Cecilia 220

CHAP. XXV. Events relating to Cecilia in her Basilica throughout the
course of the Ninth and Tenth Centuries. Homage rendered to Cecilia in

the Greek Liturgy 228

CHAP. XXVI. Events relating to St. Cecilia and her Basilica throughout
the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Centuries. Venera-
tion paid to the Roman Virgin in France 234

CHAP. XXVII. Events relating to Cecilia and her Basilica throughout the
Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, Homage paid by literature and the

Arts to the Roman Virgin 246

CHAP. XXVIII. Cardinal Paul Emilius Sfondrato. His devotion to Saint

Cecilia. His discovery of her body 262

CHAP. XXIX Sfondrato acquaints Clement VIII.. with the discovery of
Cecilia's body. Joy of the Pontiff. Baronius comes to identify the Holy
Relics 273

CONTENTS. 7

PAGE.

CHAP. XXX. Sfondrato's preparations for the translation of Cecilia's body. 1

Veneration of Clement VIII. for the Roman Virgin 281

CHAP. XXXI. Translation of Cecilia's body by Clement VIII 291

CHAP. XXXII. Confirmation of the Acts of St. Cecilia by the circumstances
attending the second discovery of her body 297

CHAP. XXXIII. Sfondrato discovers the body of St. Agnes. His piety
towards the Mother of God and the Saints. His will and death. His
epitaph in the Basilica of St. Cecilia 302

CHAP. XXXIV. The Jansenistic school attacks the Acts of the Holy Mar-
tyr. Examination and refutation of their arguments 318

CHAP. XXXV. Continuation of the same subject 333

CHAP. XXXVI. Events relating to Cecilia and her Basilica throughout the
Eighteenth Century 342

CHAP. XXXVII. Events relating to St. Cecilia and her Basilica through-
out the Nineteenth Century 371

APPENDIX 385

LIFE

OP

SAINT CECILIA.

CHAPTER I.

ALEXANDER SEVERUS. HIS EDUCATION. TENDENCY TO CHRISTIANITY.
DEFECTS OF CHARACTER.

The ninth year of the reign of Alexander Severus
had just opened;* the consular fasces were in
the hands of Lucius Virius Agricola and Sextus
Catius Clementinus, and for eight years and a half,
Saint Urban had been guiding at Rome the bark of
Saint Peter. f Since the death of Septimius Severus,
who had ordered the fifth persecution against the
Christians, the Church had enjoyed a peace and
tranquillity which had already lasted twenty years,
and was destined to continue seven years longer,
until the promulgation of the sanguinary edict of
Maximinus, successor of Alexander Severus. During
this interval, Christianity had made steady progress.
Saint Callistus had occupied with honor, the Apos-
tolic chair, and although his life was the forfeit of
this perilous dignity, his martyrdom was not a sig-
nal for a general massacre of the faithful. The

* This prince had been proclaimed by the army, on the 11th
of March, 222 ; the ninth year of his reign commenced on the
11th of March, 230.

f St. Urban had ascended the apostolic chair abont the mid-
dle of October, 222.

9

10 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

death of this pontiff was the result of the political
jealousy of the Emperors, who dreaded the humble
majesty of the Bishop of Eorne more than they
would have feared a competitor for the empire.*

St. Urban had, therefore, the prospect of sooner
or later sealing with his blood, the elevated mission
of presiding over the destinies of the Church, and,
indeed, he was worthy of such a fate. The holy old
man did not dread the trial for himself, but he felt
great anxiety with regard to the flock of Jesus
Christ ; for, although the days of persecution were
ever glorious for the Church, they were unhappily
too frequently marked by the apostasy of many
Christians. The fears of the Pontiff were based
upon the well-known character of the head of the
empire, who, although a clement and just prince, and
kindly disposed towards the Christians, was weak
and easily influenced. Alexander was at this time
in his twenty-first year. His mother, Julia, not
only loved and admired Christianity ; but it appears
that she even professed it.f While residing at An-
tioch, four years before the elevation of her son to
the throne, she sent an escort of honor to Alexan-
dria, requesting a visit from the learned Origen, with
whom she conversed upon the Christian religion, the

* Such were, as we learn from St. Cyprian, the sentiments of
the Emperor Decius, who ascended the throne a few years later:
" Cum tyrannus infestus sacerdotibus Dei fanda et nefanda com-
minaretur, cum inulto patientius et tolerabilius audiret levari
adversus se aemulum principem quant constitui Roma3 Dei Sa-
cerdotem." Epist. ad Antonianvm.

f Eusebius intimated this in his Ecclesiastical History, Book
iv. chap. 21 : Orosius, in the 18th chap, of his 2d Book. While St.
Vincent of Lerins asserts it positively. (Commonit. cap. xxiii.)

LIFE OF SAIKT CECILIA. 11

divinity of its origin, and the purity of its morals.
She received this illustrious doctor with the greatest
respect, and loaded him with honors.* Mammaea
superintended herself the education of her son, and
his contemporaries, as wefl as posterity, attribute to
her influence his total disrelish for the dissolute
habits of his cousin Heliogabalus, as well as the
justice and humanity he displayed throughout the
course of his life. f This princess directed Alexander
in all his undertakings, accompanied him in his
campaigns, and even shared his fate when he was
massacred at the head of his troops, on the banks of
the Ehine, in an expedition against the Germans.

If the policy of Alexander, who was only in his
fourteenth year when the sovereign power devolved
upon him, prevented his embracing the religion of his
mother, he at least entertained for Christianity and
its divine founder the greatest respect. The Lara-
rium (oratory) of his palace included, not only the
statues of the gods, and of the Emperors who had
been signal benefactors to the human race, but also
the statue of Jesus Christ, placed there by Alexander
and honored by him with divine worship.

His admiration for the Son of Mary was so sincere
that he even laid a proposition before the senate to
admit to a rank among the gods, the founder of a
religion, of which the moral code was so pure. The
senate desired to consult the oracles upon this im-
perial fancy, and Lampridius, a contemporary author,
reports their response to have been, that if this now
apotheosis were celebrated, the temples would soon

* Buseb. lib. vi. cap. xxi.

| Herodian, a pagan historian of Alexander, unhesitatingly

acknowledges this. Lib. v. p. 571; Lib. vi. 574, 575, Frankfort
edit. 1590.

12 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

be abandoned, and all the world would become
Christian.* The maxim: " Do unto others only that
which you would wish them to do to you," was un-
ceasingly on the lips of Alexander, and he freely
acknowledged that he had borrowed it from the
Christians. He caused it to be engraved on the walls
of his palace, and on those of the new edifices.
In obedience to his orders, a herald proclaimed it
publicly at the punishment of criminals.! Alexander
gave another proof of his respect for Christianity,
by confiding many of the offices of his court to
Christians whom he honored with his favor. Euse-
bius speaks of the excessive irritation of Maximums,
on seeing these posts of honor filled by the followers
of a religion, which he himself so unrelentingly perse-
cuted.^; An incident, related by Lampridius, and
which throws great light on the situation of the
Church in Eome, will serve to show the impartiality
of Alexander in cases affecting the Christians. In
the country beyond the Tiber, at the foot of Mount
Janiculum, was situated the famous Taberna rneri-
toria, from the soil of which, in the year of Eome,
718, a fountain of oil had burst forth and flowed
during an entire day like a mysterious river.g
Augustus, conqueror of Pompey and Lepidus, was
inaugurating the era of universal peace, when this
sign announced to the Eomans the approaching birth
of him, who, invested with the double unction of the
Priesthood and of Eoyalty, would descend upon earth

* Lamprid. Augusta, liistor. Paris, 1620, p. 129. f Ibid. p. 132.

t Euseb. Histor. Eccles. lib. vi. cap. 28.

§ This incontestable fact is reported in the Chronicles of Euse-
bius, and in those of St. Prosper, Idacius, Orosius. Previous
to these Christian writers, Dio Cassius mentions it in his His-
tory of Rome. Lib. xliii. p. 383. Edit, of 1G06.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 13

to be the pledge of the restoration of peace between
heaven and earth. Under the pontificate of St.
Callistus, this celebrated edifice, famed for so memo-
rable a prodigy, passed into the hands of the Christ-
ians. This pontiff dedicated it as a church under the
invocation of the Mother of Grod ; since that time,
Eome honors this sanctuary under the name of St.
Mary beyond the Tiber.*

It is not known when the Christians obtained
possession of a building which had formerly served
only for profane uses ; but Lampridius relates that
the popinarii (tavern keepers) complained bitterly
to Alexander, that a place hitherto free to the public,
and profitable to them, had been taken from them
and devoted to the service of a religion, not even
recognized by the laws of the empire. The good
dispositions of this prince toward the Christians
were decidedly manifested in his decision of this case.

"I prefer," he replied, "that God should be hon-
ored in this place in any manner whatsoever, rather
than restore it again to the venders of wine."f Such,
with regard to the Church, were the dispositions of
the prince who reigned over Rome and over the
whole world. Nevertheless, St. Urban, as we have
before stated, did not feel secure from the violent
storms which had ravaged the Church even under
the best Emperors. Trajan and Antoninus had per-
secuted the Christians, and, moreover, the defects of
Alexander's character rendered a change possible,
if not in his interior dispositions, at least in his con-
duct. Urban could not forget that his predecessor,

* See Moretti, de S. Callisto Papaet Martyre ejusque Basilica
S. Marine, trans-Tybei hn nqncupata. Rome, 1752.
f Lamprid. Alex. vita. pag. 131,

14 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Callistus, had suffered martyrdom in the early part
of the reio;n of Alexander, and if the murder of this
holy Pope could be justly attributed to political
motives, it was not easy to forget, that, until that time,
State reasons, as well as zeal for the worship of the
gods, had dictated the edicts of proscription against
the Christians. Alexander was opposed to violence,
but his timidity rendered him very yielding. He
was known to cringe to public opinion, and to fear
literary men, lest they should transmit to posterity
an unfavorable account of his character and reign.*

His weakness was particularly conspicuous in the
exaggerated deference he paid Mammaea, to whose
influence he was constantly submissive. This prin-
cess, distinguished for her noble qualities, but jealous
and passionate, exercised complete dominion over
her son, and, although her advice was generally most
beneficial to Alexander, it sometimes led him to
commit grave faults.f.

It was at the instigation of his Mother, that Alex-
ander repudiated, and exiled into Lybia, his first
wife whom he esteemed and loved. Mammaea drove
her from the palace and forced her to seek refuge in
the protection of the army 4 Alexander also caused
Marcion, the father of his wife, to be put to death, a
fate richly merited according to some historians, who
assert that the unhappy man had been proved guilty
of treason. However this may be, the weakness of
Alexander's character w r as easily discovered by the
courtiers. Interested and ambitious men took ad-
vantage of it to prosecute their designs with boldness,

* Lamprid. Alex. vita. pag. 115.

f Herodian. Hist. August, lib. vi. pag. 575. J Herodian. Ibid.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 15

though opposed to his views, yet not without reason
hoped for impunity, if not for favor.

CHAPTER II.

DISPOSITIONS OF THE MAGISTRATES OP THE EMPIRE WITH REGARD
TO CHRISTIANITY. ULPIAN. UNCEASING TRIALS IMMINENT FOR
THE CHRISTIANS OF ROME.

If the influence of Julia Mammsea at times induced
Alexander to act in opposition to the dictates of his
heart, there was at least no reason to fear that, with
respect to Christianity, this princess would lead him
into the path of persecution. But unfortunately
the bitterest and most formidable enemies of the
Church had found an asylum in the palace of the
Emperor, and were favored with his confidence.
Elevated to the throne at an age when the character
is still unformed, he needed a council to direct him
in the art of governing. The members of this coun-
cil, sixteen in number, were chosen by Mammaea
herself, and were principally skilful juris-consults,
who were highly esteemed in Rome. Papinian,
Domitius Ulpian, Julius Paulus, Celsus, Pomponius,
Modestinus, Yenuleius, Hermogenes, and Callistra-
tus, successively formed part of this council, and
many of them retained their seats several years.
These legists, adorers of the coercive principle decora-
ted with the pompous name of Law, that law of which
they were the oracles, witnessed with profound antip-
athy, the progress of Christianity, which revealed to
men the principles of an eternal jurisprudence, calcu-
lated essentially to modify the mutual relations of

16 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

mankind. A spiritual, and at the same time, cosmo-
politan society, which rejected the control of political
power, and propagated itself in spite of all the edicts
of repression, seemed to them a monster which the
empire could not stifle too soon. Jurisprudence and
philosophy united their efforts in repelling the com-
mon enemy which was advancing so rapidly against
them, and would inevitably, sooner or later, crush
them in their own domain, by assigning faith as
the guide of intellect, and erecting in the conscience
of each man a tribunal from which lie would judge
the law. Edicts of persecution had been the sole
reply to the pretensions of this new society. The
ferocious autocracy of Nero, the benevolent genius
of Trajan and Antoninus, the philosophical instincts
of Marcus Aurelius, had all conspired in the general
massacre of the Christians. From the very begin-
ning, the empire felt that it had either to bend under
the yoke, or conquer by carnage. The personal dis-
position of Alexander, as well as his education,
seemed almost a guarantee that the Church, during
his reign, would not be harassed by any addition
to the long series of proscriptive edicts against
the Christians; but the tolerance of the emperor for
the religion of his Mother, was not so great as to
banish from the Arsenal of Eoman laws, those weap-
ons of tyranny, the use of Avhich a clement prince
would have prohibited. Pagan superstition and
Eoman policy watched together over the mainte-
nance of those sanguinary edicts, and Alexander
dared not brave public opinion, nor expose his popu-
larity, by revoking them. Lampridius, in a few
words, perfectly expresses the politic measures of the

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 17

emperor with regard to the Church : " Alexander,"
he says, "tolerated the existence of Christians."*

Daring this truce, the legists of the imperial pal-
ace compiled several times the Roman laws, carefully
bringing together in their compilations the ordi-
nances which condemned the faithful to death. The
assessors of Papinian, in his office of Prefect of the
Praetonum, were Domitius Ulpian and Julius Pau-
las, two men whose names are as imposing in the
history of jurisprudence, as they are odious in the
annalsof Christianity. Daring the reign of Alexander,
the former published his famous books, De officio
Proconsulis, in which he collects the different edicts
of the Emperors against every kind of crime. We find
there the numerous constitutions which outlawed the
disciples of Jesus Christ. Lactantius brands with
eloquent indignation, this sanguinary concession to
the passions of the Prsetorium,f which rendered the
reign of Alexander a cruel and cowardly transition
from the pe secution of Septimius Severus, to that
set on foot by Maximinus, and which broke out
immediately after the assassination of Alexander.
Herod ian andLampridius eulogize in the most extra-
vagant manner, the virtues and qualities of Ulpian.
Pagans like himself, they considered it no crime to
sharpen the sword destined to massacre the Christ-

* Alexand. vita. pag. 121.

f Quin etiam seleratissimi homicidae contra pios jura impia
condiderunt. Nam et constitutiones sacrilegae, et disputationes
Jurisperitorum legunter injustae. Domitius, de officio Proconsulis
libro septimo, rescripta Principum nefaria collegit, ut docerot,
quibus poonis affici oporteret cos, qui so oultorea Dei conlitcren-
tur. Divin, Ins tit. lib. v. rap xi.

2*

18 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

ians. Moreover, the degree of morality necessary to
satisfy the writers of this epoch, is well known.
According to Dio Cassius, Ulpian would never have
enjoyed the honors of the Praetorium, had he not
murdered his predecessors, Flavian and Chrestus*
The blood of the Christians could hardly be more
precious to Ulpian than that of the first magistrates
of Rome. Such was the man who exercised un-
bounded influence over Alexander, and enjoyed to
an unlimited degree the imperial favor. Mammaea
at first watched with great anxiety, the influence of
Ulpian. She knew his violent opposition to Christi-
anity ; but Ulpian was too politic to solicit new edicts
against a religion favored by the Mother of the Em-
peror, and respected by Alexander himself. She
therefore soon calmed her fears, and even contributed
towards advancing the fortunes of Ulpian. f

The tranquillity which had been restored to the
Church, was destined to be of short duration ; the
brief respite from persecution seemed merely granted
to increase the number of victims, who never for a
moment lost sight of the arena of their brethren^
recent combats. The reigns of the emperors were
frequently short, and even during that of Alexander,
a favorable opportunity was alone required to give
free vent to the hatred of the proconsuls, ever eager
to persecute the Christians. Even a limited knowl-
edge of the laws of tbe empire at that time, is suffi-
cient to show how little dependence could be placed
by the citizens of Rome upon their liberty, their for-
tunes, or even their lives. Exile, confiscation, or

* Dion Cass. Hist, pag 917. f Baronius. Annal. ad ann. 225.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 19

judicial murder, were calamities which often fell
upon patricians, senators, and even consuls, whilst
tyranny was exercised against the plebeians — to
which class the majority of the Christians belonged —
with the greatest ease and impunity; the law brand-
ing them as despicable and vile. The perils which
the Church had reason to dread from the Roman
legislation, were considerably aggravated by the
hostile dispositions of a large portion of the inhabi-
tants of Rome. Tertullian, in his Apology, published
thirty years before the epoch of which we treat, re-
marks that in public calamities, or in seditions, the
multitude never failed to cry out : — " The Christians
to the lions 1" The mild, but weak reign of Alex-
ander was more than once agitated by tempests,
which converted the capital of the world into a theatre
of carnage, where free vent was given to the violence
of passion. Even Ulpian, with all his skill and
power, frequently failed in crushing these disturb-
ances. His office gave him supreme authority over
the praetorian guard. This body having displeased
the Romans, in some trifling matter, war was declared
against them. The civil contest lasted three days,
and resulted in many deaths on both sides. Encour-
aged by their superiority of number, the people
fought with such success that they were gaining a
decided victory, when the praetorians commenced to
fire the city ; fear at once overcame the exasperation
of the people, and paved the way to reconciliation.*
A short time after, in the fifth year of Alexander's
reign, Ulpian was assassinated by the praetorian

* Diou Cass Hist, page 917.

20 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

guard, thus expiating by his own violent death, the
murder of Flavian and Chrestus. His efforts to re-
store discipline to this formidable corps, excited to
such a degree the animosity of the soldiers, that they
boldly demanded his condemnation of the Emperor.
Several times Alexander was reduced to the necessity
of covering with his imperial purple, the prefect who
had become so odious to the praetorians ; but even
this protection did not long preserve the life of his
favorite ; the praetorians finally murdered him in the
very presence of the Emperor. Ulpian was suc-
ceeded in the Prefecture of the Praetorium, by his
colleague, Julius Paulus, a man well worthy the
office, if extreme aversion for the Christians was at
that time a necessary qualification for so important
a charge.

Thus the law ever armed with the sword kept
guard at the doors of the Church, and when occasion
offered, the legists eagerly took advantage of it. A
city containing nearly three millions of inhabitants
accustomed to scenes of bloodshed, was not likely to
be agitated because severity was exercised against a
sect, who, according to the expression of Tacitus,
had drawn upon themselves the hatred of the whole
human race.** It was well known that they would
not be avenged by their brethren, who envied their
fate; nor by the people, who were absurdly prejudiced
against them ; nor by the emperor, who considered
he favored the*i sufficiently by not proscribing them,
and by admitting several to form a portion of his
household.

* Odio huuiaiii generis convicti. Tacit. Aunal. lib. xv.
cap. xliv.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 21

CHAPTER III.

MARTYRS UNDER ALEXANDER SEVERUS. SITUATION AND SOLICITUDE
OF POPE ST. URBAN. PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY IN ROME.

The calendar of the Church has preserved the
memory of several martyrs who suffered during the
reign of Alexander. The execution of edicts being
suspended, they are but few in number; we find
them however in the Martyrologies, the persecuting
spirit of the empire having more than once broken
down the barriers imposed by the tolerance of the
emperor.

St. Hesychius, a soldier, was executed with St.
Julius, under Maximinus at Dorostoros in Mysia.
No other mention is made of martyrs who suffered
at this epoch out of Eome; but in the capital itself,
during the first year of the reign of Alexander, we
find the names of the saintly priest Callipadius, who
was beheaded, Palmatius* a personage of elevated
rank, and Simplicius a senator, who were massacred
with their families; shortly after, Pope Callistus;

* The acts of St. Callistus err, in giving to Palmatius the title
of Consul; this qualification should not be taken literally. We
frequently find, not only in the acts of the Martyrs and other
Saints, but likewise in histories and chronicles which are the
foundation of the annals of modern society, that the compilers
make many errors with respect to titles, from the fact that they
are not familiar with those in use at the time the events took
place. This confounding of terms does not detract from the sin-
cerity of the authors, nor from the reliability of the sources
whence they derive their facts. Even the most severe critics
overlook such trilling errors, which are so frequent in the his-
torical works, written after the fall of the Western Empire.

22 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

later, the virgins Martina and Tatiana; and finally,
the celebrated martyr whose combats we are going to
relate, and who rendered the pontificate of St. Urban
forever memorable.

The holy Pope in consequence of numerous acts
of violence, was convinced that he would not be
permitted to end in peace the ninth year of his
courageous episcopacy. The persecutors of the vene-
rable Pontiff were not wanting in pretexts to satisfy
their unjust hatred. Without requiring edicts of
persecution, the magistrates could easily have re-
course to the general laws which condemned to death
all those guilty of sacrilege, as well as magicians
and disturbers of the public peace.* The head of
the Christians of Rome and of the empire, was thus
liable at any moment to be led before the magistrates
upon some charge of this nature. He was twice
summoned to the Prsetorium, where he courageously
confessed his faith. f Thenceforth, it was no longer
possible for him to live within the city without ex-

* The process directed against Palmatius and Simplicius, and
in consequence of which they obtained the crown of martyrdom,
was the result of a search after some Christians, accused of witch-
craft, on acc&unt of certain omens which had been attributed to
them. In cases of this nature, Alexander's governors easily
eluded his tolerance towards the Christians. The magistrates
knew how to take advantage of an accusation of witchcraft, in the
interval of persecution ; and as to the crime of sacrilege a simple
pi o vocation addressed to a Christian was often sufficient to obtain
a reply that could^easily be metamorphosed into an insult offered
the gods and prove a cause of arrest. Finally, it was an easy mat-
ter to excite the people of certain districts to attack the faithful,
and then accuse the latter as disturbers of the public peace.

f St. Urban merited the title of Verus Confessor, which is given
him in the Liber Pontijicalis, by the courage with which he con-

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 23

posing his life : he therefore retired to the catacombs
of the Appian Way, near the tombs of the martyrs,
where recalling to his mind the example of his pre-
decessors, he strengthened his soul for its last combat.
While in this mysterious place of concealment, com-
munications were sent him from the Churches of the
East and of the West ; he directed the twenty-five
churches which Rome already counted within her
walls ; and received with benevolence, the faithful
who had recourse to him, or the Pagans, who,
touched by grace, earnestly implored to be enlight-
ened by that Admirable Light, which the Prince of
the Apostles had brought to the Romans.* Several
priests and deacons assisted the Pontiff and shared
his labors and perils. Many of the poor, watched
like faithful sentinels along the road which led to
the dwelling of the Vicar of Christianity. Being
well known by the Christians of Rome, they served
as agents between the Church and her chief, and thus
concealed from the shrewd emissaries of the Pne-
torium all traces of the mysterious communications

fessed Jesus Christ before the judges of Rome — twice according
to the Acts of St. Cecilia, and seven times according to the Acts
of other Martyrs, cited by Henschenius. Tillemont considers
this antonomasia of the papal chronicle, a sufficient reason to
refuse St. Urban the title of martyr, asserting that the martyr-
dom of this Pope is only based upon acts which have no author-
ity. If Tillemont had taken the trouble to consult the different
editions of the Sacramentary of St. Gregory, which represents the
official tradition of the Catholic Church respecting the Saints
whom she honors, particularly when they have been Pontiffs, he
would have found that St. Urban in the VIII. of the calends of
June, is always styled Martyr and Pope.
* 1 Pet. xi., 9.

2-i LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

which preserved life throughout the body of the
Church.

The documents which certify the intervention of
St. Urban in the affairs of the universal Church, are
not now extant, but we see, in some of the fragments
relating to Pontiffs who preceded or followed him,
that during the first three centuries, the papal pre-
rogative was exercised over the Church with as much
calmness and authority from the foot of the scaffold,
as in later years, when the apostolical letters emana-
ted from the Lateran palace. The Liber Pontifical is
makes no mention of the decrees attributed after-
wards to Urban, on the doubtful authority of Mer-
cator, but it particularly specifies that during the
course of his pontificate*, the holy Pope consecrated
eight bishops, the greater number destined doubtless
for an apostolic life and for the foundation of new
Churches. At the same time, St. Urban provided
for the dignity of divine service in the churches of
Borne. There were many Christians at the court of
Alexander, in the senate, and among the patricians ;
it was bat just that a part of the riches of the disci-
ples of Christ, should be devoted to the suitable cele-
bration of the divine mysteries. Aided by liberal
contributions from these wealthy Christians, St.
Urban replaced the vases of the altar with silver
ones, and among other things ordered twenty-five
silver patens for the various churches of the city.f
These patens were very large, for they were des-
tined to receive the bread which each one of the

* Anast. de Vitis Pontificum Romanorum. In Urbano.
f Hie fecit ministeria sacrata argentea, et patenas argenteaa
viginti quinque posuit. Anast. Ibid.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 25

faithful who was to communicate, brought as an
offering. Whilst St. Urban was devoting so much
attention to the ornaments of material altars, he was
exercising his pastoral zeal with still greater ardor
in gathering converts to the fold of Christ.

Thirty years before, Tertullian, in addressing the
Senate, had exclaimed: "We are but of yesterday;
yet already we fill your cities, your islands, your
villages, markets, camps, tribes, palaces, and forum ;
we leave you nothing but your temples."* Since that
time, numerous recruits had reinforced the Christian
ranks. It would be well to enumerate here the
different ways in which God in His mercy, led the
Gentiles to desire baptism. According to Tertullian,
who lived under Alexander Severus, the greater
number were attracted by the holiness and purity
of life so conspicuous in the Christians ; whilst those
who witnessed the invincible constancy of the mar-
tyrs, were unable to resist the profound impressions
made upon their souls.f The wonderful prodigies
of which the simple faithful were frequently the
instruments, such as curing the sick, casting out
devils, etc., added much to the opinion already
formed by the pagans, respecting the divinity of the
Christian religion.;]; Even the oracles frequently
confessed the truth of our dogmas, and Tertullian
boldly proposed to the Senate, that, in presence of
the magistrates, the Pythons, or even the gods, should

* Hesterni sumus, et vestra omnia implevimus, urbes, insulas,
castella, municipia, conciliabula, castra ipsa, tribus, deourias,
palatiurn, senatum, forum ; sola vobis relinquinius templa
Apologeticus. Cap. xxxvii.

+ Ad Scapulam. cap. iv. \ Apolog. cap. xxxvii.

s

26 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

be interrogated ; promising that the rash Christian
who ventured to provoke them, should be punished,
if the spirit, speaking through these victims of idol-
atry, did not openly confess the truth and holiness
of the God of the Christians.* Frequently, the infi-
nite goodness of God, triumphed over the resistance
of Pagans, by wonderful visions. We learn this
by the express testimony of Tertullian.f Later we
shall mention numerous conversions of this nature ;
at present we will simply cite that of Saint Basili-
des, who was gained to the faith by an apparition
of the holy virgin Potaminia, who placed a crown
"upon his head, and told him he would soon follow
her to martyrdom $ the learned Arnobius, converted
by a similar grace, according to St. Jerome ;§ and
many other instances mentioned in the most authen-
tic Acts of the Martyrs. Origen unites with Ter-
tullian in certifying the permanency of these voca-
tions to the faith throughout the third century : " I
do not doubt," says this great Christian philosopher,
" that Celsus, by the mouth of his Jew, will ridicule
me ; but that will not prevent my saying that many
persons have embraced Christianity, as it were, in
spite of themselves, their hearts being so suddenly
changed by some spirit which appeared to them,
either in broad daylight, or at night, that their for-
mer aversion for our doctrine has been converted
into such intense love, that they willingly died in its
defence. We have witnessed many such cases.||"

* Apolog. cap. xxiii. f De anima. cap. xlvii.
t Euseb. Hist. Eccles. Lib. vi. cap. v.
§ Appendix ad Chronic. Eusebii.
j| Contra Cels. Lib. i. n° 46.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 27

The zeal of the faithful did not permit the all-
powerful mercy of the Most High to be the sole agent
in these conversions ; for it is in the designs of God t
that the Word of Life, the progress of which, neither
man nor hell can restrain, should be spread through-
out the world by mortal lips. Not only did the
sacred hierarchy plant this fruitful seed; not only
did the writings of numerous and eloquent apolo-
gists, such as Justin, Athenagoras, Tertullian, fre-
quently prove to the most prejudiced minds, the
innocence and happy effects of the Christian doctrine,
but on all sides, the love of Christ which consumed
so many hearts burning for martyrdom, gave birth
to apostles whose eloquence could not be withstood.
Without speaking of the innumerable conquests
gained in the bosom of families by the sole effect of
the powerful example of Christian virtues, how many
instances may we not adduce of humble and valiant
soldiers, winning to Christ their haughty leaders, who
thenceforth considered it a prouder honor to bear on
their breasts the proscribed cross, than to command
under the Roman eagles? At other times, poor slaves,
by their simple and sublime words, suddenly hum-
bled at the foot of the crucifix, the pride of a patri-
cian, or the haughtiness of a stately Roman lady t
who, until then had thought of nothing but sensual
vanity, or the cruel pleasures of the amphitheatre.
And again, Christian virgins, victorious over tb«
world and the flesh, and emulating the purity of
angels, seemed to rival those angelic spirits in their
zeal for the conquest of souls. But whilst St. Urban
guided the Roman Church, none of these spouses of

28 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Christ exceeded in love, fidelity, and ardent zeal, the
incomparable virgin Cecilia. Charmed with the
marvels of Divine grace in this simple and cou-
rageous heart, the holy Pontiff, considering her the
most precious flower in the garden of Christ, watched
over and cherished her with truly paternal tender-
ness. God did not permit him, however, to know
the sublime degree of glory to which Cecilia was
destined. St. Urban lived in continual expectation
of martyrdom; but he knew not that his sacrifice
would be preceded by that of this youthful virgin.

CHAPTER IV.

SAINT CECILIA. FAMILY OP THE CECILli. THE APPIAN WAY IN THE
THIRD CENTURY.

Cecilia was born in Rome, of one of the most
illustrious patrician families. The ancient and noble
race of the Cecilii, one of the branches of Avhich
adopted and rendered illustrious the surname of
Metellus, gloried in their descent from Caia Cecilia
Tanaquil, wife of Tarquin the elder, one of the most
celebrated personages in the regal period. The
Eomans, to prove their admiration for this matron,
had erected in the capitol a statue to her honor."*
Varro, as Pliny relates, certifies that even in his time
the distaff and spindle of Caia Cecilia were carefully
preserved in the temple of Sangus, and that, the

* Nieburh. Histoire Romaine. Tom. ii, pag. 99.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 29

dress which this princess had woven for Servius
Tullius* was kept in the temple of Fortune.

This traditional homage paid to a woman who did
not forget in her political character the proprieties
and occupations of her sex, is one of the character-
istic features of ancient Rome, and we shall have
occasion to remark to what an exalted degree the
qualities and attributes of Caia Cecilia, enter into
the type of the Roman wife. Even one of the
Fathers of the Church, St. Jerome, eulogizes this
mysterious personage, citing her as a model of con-
jugal modesty among the Gentiles. " The name of
the prince to whom she was married," says the holy
Doctor, " disappears beneath the shades of antiquity
like that of other kings ; but the rare virtue which
elevated this woman above others of her sex, is so
deeply engraven in the memory of all ages that it
can never be efiaced."f Thus the name of Cecilia
which Tanaquil added to her Etruscan name, when
called to reign over Rome, was respected by all
generations in the Eternal City, at the time when it
pleased the Almighty to offer a Christian Cecilia to
the veneration, not only of the capital, but of the
entire world. The illustrious race to which this
holy virgin belonged, not only boasted of being

* Lanam in colo et fuso Tanaqnilis, quae eadem Caia Caecilia
vocata est, in templo Sangi durasse, prodente se, autor est M.
Varro : factamque ab ea togam regiam undulatam in aede For-
tune qua Servius Tullius fuerat usus. Plin. Nat. Hist lib. viii.
cap. lxxiv.

f Notior est marito suo Tanaquilla. Ilium inter mu It a Regum
nomina jam abscondit antiquitas. Hano vara inter feminas virtus,
altius sa>ciilorum omnium memorise, quam ut ezoidere possit,
inlixit. Adversus Jovinianum. Lib. i. n° 49.

8*

30 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

allied to Caia Cecilia, but of numerous distinguished
men who were its glory. Even in the time of the Re-
public, it had attained the highest pinnacle of gran-
deur. Without speaking of the dignities of the Dic-
tatorship, Censorship, and Chief Pontificate, which
members of the Cecilii family had successively
enjoyed, and of which the annalists and the monu-
ments of Rome still bear witness, its noble name is
inscribed upon the Consular archives, eighteen times
before the accession of Augustus to the Empire.*
The coins struck in Rome by the Cecilii family,
are still so numerous that a series of forty-four, all
belonging to the Republican period, has been pub-
lished.f The military triumphs awarded to the
different members of this house were numerous and
splendid, and added to the fame of the ancient Cecilii,
the title of Macedonicus, Balearicus, Numidicus,
Dalmaticus, Creticus, in memory of brilliant victo-
ries over the enemies of Rome. The Cecilii family
were often entrusted with the consular fasces by the
Emperors, and, during the years which more imme-
diately preceded the memorable epoch that gave
birth to the happy virgin who rendered it more
illustrious than all the great generals of whom it was
so proud, we find in the archives the names of
Caecilius Silanus,J Cascilius Rufus,§ Coecilius Sim-
plex,! Caecilius Classicus, e [ and Caecilius Balbinus,**
as having been invested with the magistracy.ff

* Muratori. Inscriptiones. Tom. i.

f Riccio. LenionetedelleantichefamigliediRoina. Naples, 1843.

t A. U. (In the year of the City, [Rome,]), 759.

§ A. U. 7G9. j| A. U. 822. ir A. U. 854. ** A. U. 890.

ft Muratori. Ibid. L'art de verifier les dates.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 31

Among the females of this illustrious race who
are mentioned in history, we find the names of
Cecilia, daughter of Metellus Balearicus, of whom
Cicero relates several marvellous circumstances ;*
Cecilia, daughter of Metellus Dalmaticus, first mar-
ried to iEmilius Scaurus and afterwards to the Dic-
tator L. Sylla; and Cecilia, daughter of Q. Metellus
Creticus and wife of Crassus, to whose memory, was
erected a large and magnificent tomb, which is still
the principal monument of the Appian Way. This
celebrated edifice is built upon the very ground
under which extend the mysterious Crypts that
served as a place of concealment for St. Urban, and
under the shadow of which the remains of St.
Cecilia reposed for six centuries.

Thus were Pagan and Christian Eome mingled ,
until the latter having conquered by its blood, the
divine plan, according to which the city of the seven
hills had become mistress of the world — solely to
unite all nations under the same spiritual empire —
was rendered manifest to all nations and to all ages.
Hence that sublime reciprocal relation which, at
every step, so forcibly impresses the traveller in
Rome, constantly meeting, as he does, with souvenirs
of the Ancient city ; her traditions and even her
proper names applied, continued, and accomplished
with astonishing plenitude under the Christian sway.

We cannot resist introducing our readers to a
place under the walls of Rome, so intimately con-
nected with incidents relating to St. Cecilia, and so
visibly stamped with the elevated predestination of
* De diviuatioue. cap. n et xlvi.

32 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Christianity, that we cannot visit it without beina:
struck by the mysterious connection between the
two. This place is the Appian Way, the theatre of
decisive events in behalf of the Eternal City. It
was once adorned by the immense and costly sepul-
chral monuments of the Koman families. The ruins
of these still cover the ground under which is the
sacred labyrinth in whose shades legions of martyrs
have slept.

Nothing can equal the grandeur and solemnity of
this Way, which, during the reign of Alexander
Severus, when the city was still enclosed on that
side by the walls of Servius Tullius, commenced at
the Capena gate and extended to the Campagna. It
derives its name from Appius Claudius, who exer-
cised the functions of Censor in the year of Rome,
442, and who raised it to the dignity of a Military
Way. In 594, it was repaired by the consul, Mar-
cus Cornelius Cetegus, and newly embellished by
the application of the Viaria law of Caius Gracchus;
under the empire it was successively improved by
Vespasian, Domitian, Nerva, Trajan, Caracalla, Dio-
cletian, and Maximin, as is attested by the inscrip-
tions on the mile stones which have remained to our
day.

Traversing the plain, which extends t6ward the
south, the Appian Way is undulating like the ground.
Sumptuous villas, temples of graceful or severe
architecture, and here and there beautiful villages
called pagi, embellished it throughout its course;
but its principal ornament once consisted in the
double row of tombs, traces of which may be found

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 33

at the present day, for more than fourteen miles on
either side of the way. The pavement, composed
of solid blocks of lava, is magnificent and solid, like
all the works of the royal people ; it is still indented
for miles with the deep ruts formed by the wheels
of the Eoraan chariots, two thousand years ago.
The Appian Way, like all the ancient roads, was
somewhat narrow, on either side of it were foot-paths,
along which the sepulchres were built. The style
of these funereal monuments, imposing ruins of which
may still be seen, was very varied ; some were imi-
tations of temples, built in an elegant and severe
style ; othere were of a circular form, like a tower ;
many, pyramidal, and a large number, quadrilateral.
These sepulchres belonged either to individuals or
to entire families ; some were intended for the patri-
cians, others for their freedmen. The body of the
deceased was frequently placed in a sarcophagus,
but sometimes the loculus merely contained the
ashes, according to the custom which was introduced
towards the end of the Eepublic, of burning the
corpse, a practice which became very general, except
in some families who remained faithful to the ancient
custom, which was afterwards re-established by
Christianity. In addition to the tombs, the Appian
Way likewise offered many mysterious columbaria,
in which were a number of urns, placed one above
the other, and containing the ashes of several gene-
rations. The gloom produced by this variety of
sepulchres, contrasted strangely with the magnifi-
cence and luxury of the structures behind these ave-
nues of death. The Pagans, fully sensible of the

31 LIFE OF SAIXT CECILIA.

sublime lesson of tbe nothingness of human life, were
actuated by a moral sentiment in selecting the pub-
lic way, as the site of their tombs.* But the Christ-
ian religion was destined to complete this lesson by
excavating under the very ground of the Appian,
whole cities of sepulchres, which would not only
remind man of his mortality, but elevate his soul by
thoughts of immortality and triumph.

Such was the general aspect of this famous Road,
which a poet of the first ages of the empire styled
the ''Queen of Ways;"f and if my readers will
accompany me through it for several miles, dating
from the time of Alexander Severus, we will return
to the Capena gate, formerly situated in the valley
between the Aventine and Ccelian hills, not a mile
this side of the present entrance. This latter opens
in the enclosure of the walls constructed by Aure-
liam thirty years after the events which form the sub-
ject of our history.

Issuing from the Capena gate, over which passed
one of the might v aqueducts of Rome,j: the traveller
came in sight of the temples of Honor and Virtue,
erected by Marcellus after the fall of Syracuse. §
About a quarter of a mile from the gate, almost

* Varro speaks thus of the etymology of the word monumen-
tum : '• Monument a q'u» in sepulchris : et ideo secundum viam,
quo praetereuntes admoneant etsefuisse, et illos esse niortaleis."
De lingua laiina. lib. Y. cap. vi.

f Qua limite noto
Appia longarum teritur regma viarum.
Stace. Sylv. lib. n. carm. n.
J Juvenal. Sat. iii. Martial, lib. iii. Ep. xirii.
§ Tit. Liv. lib. xxv. cap. xi. lib. xxvii. cap. xxv. lib. xxix.
cap. ix.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 35

opposite the magnificent warm baths of Antoninus
Caracalla, the Latin road separated from the Appian
and turned towards the left. Near this spot were
situated the gardens which still bore the name of the
poet Terence.* Further on, commenced the inter-
minable series of tombs. We learn from Cicero that
the sepulchres of the Scipios, the Calatini, the Ser-
vilii and the Metelli, were situated outside the
Capena gate, a short distance from the walls; f and
the discovery made in the last century of the hypo-
geum of the Scipios confirms this precious informa-
tion.^: As yet we have not discovered the tomb of
the Metelli, but as we proceed we will find many
funereal reminiscences of this family, who seem, as
it were, established upon this Way, awaiting the
arrival of the noble offspring, to whom was reserved
the honor of rendering the name of the Cecilii popu-
lar until the end of time. Not far from these famous
sepulchres and quite near the Capena gate, was situ-
ated the tomb of Horatia, the young Eoman maiden,
who, during the monarchical period, was killed by
her own brother for having wept over the death of
her betrothed. Farther on, we find on this same
Way, other monuments of the decisive victor}' which
Eome gained over Alba. We learn from Eoman
history that the tomb of Horatia was constructed of

* Sueton. Terentii. cap. v.

f An tu egressus porta Capena quum Calatini, Scipiorum,
Serviliorum, Metcilorum Sepulcra vides, miseros putas illos?
Tuscul. lib. i. cap. vii.

t The sepulchres of the Furii and the Manilii have been dis-
covered nearly opposite the tomb of the Scipios.

36 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

cutstone,* which accounts for its having defied the
ravages of time.

Another reminiscence of the early days of Rome,
strikes the traveller's eyes before he reaches the tomb
of the Scipios. The valley of Egeria which extends
towards the left, was watered by the fountain of the
Nymph who dictated the laws of Numa ; it also con-
tained the temple of the Camoenae, and a sacred
wood. But it had lost its antique character, and
already Juvenal complained that pompous marble
had usurped the place of the fresh grass, and con-
cealed the rock from which the waters flowed. f The
poet also discloses to us another fact which it is very
important to mention, namely, that in his time the
Egerian fountain, the temple of the Camoenae, and
the grove itself were in the possession of the Jews.
" The proscribed muses," he says, " have given place
to beggars."^: For a long time, and particularly
during the life of Juvenal, the Pagans confounded
the Jews with the Christians. This gives us reason

* Cui soror virgo, quae desponsauni ex Curiatiis fuerat, obvia
ante portani Capenam fuit. Horatiae sepulcrum, quo loco cor-
ruerat icta, constructum est saxo quadrato. Tit. Liv. lib. i. cap.
xxvi.

\ In vallem Egeriae descendimus, et speluncas,
Dissimiles veris. Quanto praestantius esset
Numen aquae, viridi si margine clauderet undas
Herba, nee ingenuum violarent marmora tophum ?

Juvenal. Satyr, iii.
t Hoc sacri fontis nemus, et delubra locantur
Judaeis, quorum cophinus, fcenunique supellex ;
Omnis enim populo mercedem pendere jussa est
Arbor, et ejectis mendicat Sylva Camaenis.

Juvenal. Ibidem.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 37

to believe that this quarter was inhabited by the
disciples of Christ. Nearly all the first Christians
were plebeians; they had been chosen from among
the children of Jacob by St. Peter himself, who,
when the edict of Claudius banished the Jews from
Eome, was forced to leave the Capital for a short
time; the beggarly Jews, mentioned with such
severity by the poet, may, therefore, have been a
Christian colony.

This conjecture becomes almost a certainty, if we
examine attentively the Appian Way at the very
point where we have arrested our steps. Outside, it
is covered with Pagan monuments ; whilst concealed
from every eye, within the* bowels of the earth, com-
mence the sombre galleries of the Christian catacombs.
Wk have not yet reached the Aurelian enclosure, and
already a new Appian Way bursts upon us where
the heroes of Christ sleep in peace. On either side
of this Queen of Ways, near the Capena gate, under
the temples, baths, and villas of which imperial Eome
is so proud, near the tombs of the Metelli and the
Scipios, vast cemeteries extend where repose the
generations of martyrs who preceded the reign of
Aurelian. These subterraneous passages, which have
been explored several times, and are still subjects of
investigation, mark the spot where the Appian Way
first assumes a Christian character ; we meet them in
the very commencement of our pilgrimage. It would
be difficult to account for their presence so near the
walls of Eome, exposed to the view of the whole city,
had the neighborhood been peopled solely by Pagans ;
but the difficulty vanishes, if it be true that tho indi-

4

38 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

gent Jews of whom Juvenal speaks, were, in fact, a
Christian Community. They lived in this vicinity
which, in the topographical inscriptions of Eome,
bears the title of Vicus Camoenarum, and rented, not
only the Egerian fountain, but also the temple of the
Canioense and the Sacred Grove. They had every
facility to open subterraneous vaults, to excavate
galleries, to bury therein the bodies of their dead.
After passing under the arch of Drusus, and travers-
ing the ground upon which now stands the rampart
built by Aurelian, we find, a few steps to the right,
the first mile stone* of the Appian Way, the inscrip-
tion bearing the name of Vespasian and Nerva. We
next descend to the valley of the Almo, where the
Way is watered by the famous brook, in which the
priests of Cybele annually washed the statue of their
goddess. To the right, upon a hill, rises the monu-
ment of Priscilla, wife of Abascantius. Statius, in
his poem "Sylvs3," describes the conjugal tenderness
of this Eoman lady and the inconsolable grief of her
husband. " Opposite the city," he says, " at the en-
trance of the Appian Way, near the spot where Cybele
ceases her lamentations, and forgets the brooks of Ida
for the Almo of Italy ; there, O ! Priscilla ! thy vir-
tuous spouse has laid thee on a precious couch,
wrapped in the luxurious purple of Sidon. The
devastating hand of time shall be powerless against
thee, so precious are the perfumes exhaled by the
sacred marble which contains thy honored remains."f

* This column lias been transported to the terrace of the Capi-
tol.

f Est locus ante urbem, qua primum nascitur ingeng
Appia ; quaque Italo gemitus Almone Cybela

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 39

Nevertheless, many centuries ago, the tomb of Pris-
cilla was violated, and the monument which con-
tained it. remained ignored upon the Appian Way,
until recently, when the discovery of a mutilated
marble showed that this sepulchre was the same
which had proved powerless to protect the sarcopha-
gus of Priscilla. We have here another instance of
the renovation stamped by Christianity upon every
thing Koman. At the very moment when the poet
was celebrating the obsequies of this Priscilla, who
is only eulogized by the learned, another Priscilla,
of no less illustrious birth, was living in Eome and
a Christian. Mother of the Senator Pudens, and
grandmother of the virgins Praxedes and Pudentiana,
this noble lady will live in the memory of the Church
until the end of time. At her own expense, she
caused the vast subterraneous galleries which bear
her name to be excavated upon the Salarian Way ;
hence when the ecclesiastical year brings us to the
festival days of those who owe to her the burial
ground, where their remains lie mingled with hers,
the Church repeats her name with honor in the as-
sembly of the faithful.*

Ponit, et Idseos jam non reminiscitur amnes.
Hie te Sidonio vclatam molliter ostro
Eximius conjux (nee enim fumantia busta
Clamoremque rogi potuit perferre) beato
Composuit, Priscilla, toro ; nil longior aetas
Carpere, nil sevi poterunt vitiare labores
Siccatam membris ; tantus venerabile marmor
Spirat odor.

Stace. Silv. lib. v. Carm. i
* The Liber Pontificalia mentions another Priscilla who, at the
request of Pope Marcellus in the beginning of the 4th century,

40 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

. "We find one of the most touching reminiscences of
the founder of Christian Kome, directly opposite the
tomb which Statius has immortalized. It was here
that St. Peter, after the defeat of Simon the magician,
yielding to the earnest solicitations of the faithful,
was fleeing, notwithstanding his ardent desire for
martyrdom, from the city over which he was destined
to reign by his blood, when he met our Saviour carry-
ing his cross. "Lord, whither art thou going?' 7 said
the Apostle. " To Eome," replied the Eedeemer;
"there to be crucified anew."* Warned by this
celestial apparition, the Apostle at once retraced his
steps ; he revealed the divine oracle to the faithful,
and the cross of the disciple was soon elevated in
Eome, as that of his Master had been in Jerusalem.
The sovereignty of spiritual Eome was at once and
forever proclaimed by the effusion of the fisherman's
blood. The victory had commenced on the Appian
"Way, and Catholic piety consecrated, by the erection of
a sanctuary, the spot where the Apostle received the
glorious command for the combat wherein he was to
represent his divine Master.

The Way ascends here by rather a steep acclivity,

assisted in the construction of a cemetery upon the same Sala-
rian Way. This may refer to some enlargements made at this
period in the cemetery of Priscilla. But, besides the authority
of the ancient Acts which inform us that St. Priscilla, Mother
of Pudens, caused a cemetery to be constructed upon this Way,
the characteristic style of many of the paintings with which it is
adorned, evidently points out that it was built before the 4th
century.

* S. Ambros. Sermo contra Auxentium. n° 13. Hegesipp. lib.
iii. S. Greg. Magn. in Psalm, iv. Poenitentiae.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 41

and the tombs appear more and more crowded to-
gether ; but the disfigured rums found at the present
day, give but a faint idea of their former state. Vast
columbaria on the left, throw some light upon the
ashes of those for whom they were destined. One
dates back to the days of Augustus and Tiberius, and
is sufficiently large to have contained the ashes of
three thousand persons. On the same side, at a little
distance, that of the slaves and freedmen of Livia
Augusta,* still bears traces of former magnificence.
But if the surface of the ground gives us little infor-
mation respecting the illustrious dead with whom it
is peopled, the depths of the earth, rendered accessi-
ble by the indefatigable exertions of the fossores of
the primitive Church, present avenues of sepulchres,
the glory of which increases with time. Following
the acclivity of which we have just spoken, a pilgrim,
in the time of Alexander Severus, acquainted with
the mysterious entrances to this immense necropolis,
would have suddenly found himself in a vast city,
silently inhabited by the illustrious dead, who had
laid down their lives for Christ — not small ceme-
teries, like those of the Capena gate, but the colossal
work of the Christian Pontiffs of the third century.
iO the right, the pilgrim would have beheld the
crypts, excavated by order of Pope Zephyrinus, and
continued by St. Callistus, whose name they boar ;
to the left, the cemetery of Pretextatus, which dates
back to the same epoch, and presents, like that of
St. Callistus, several stories, one above the other,

* Nibby. Analisi storico-topografico-antiquariadella carta de*
diutorui di Roma. torn. iii. pag. 53G.

4*

42 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

of innumerable funereal corridors, intersecting one
another in every direction, and numerous chapels
where the bodies of the most celebrated martyrs re-
pose. Many of these subterranean sanctuaries are
lined with precious marbles, which reflected the light
of lamps and torches, during the celebration of the
holy mysteries ; symbolical, and sometimes historical
paintings, on the ceilings, walls, and under the arcade
of the principal sepulchres, served as an instruction
for the faithful, whilst by their emblematical charac-
ter, they concealed from the eyes of the profane, the
secret of the Christian dogmas.

These immense galleries continue for miles under
the Appian Way, and in after years, the different
quarters of the City of Martyrs, borrowed their names,
from the more illustrious soldiers of Christ, buried
near the entrance of their principal avenues. But,
for the present, we will use the names of Callistus
and Pretextatus, to designate, in a general manner,
the two immense regions which extend the full length
of the Way, from the acclivity we have described, to
the valley, where, in the fourth century, the Basilica
of St. Sebastian was built.

The persecutions of Decius and Dioclesian, sent
innumerable recruits of martyrs to people these sombre
dwellings ; even in the pontificate of St. Urban, St.
Zephyrinus' body* rested in one of the crypts situated
on the right of the Way, where St. Callistus prepared
the glorious asylum in which the invincible succes-
sors of St. Peter were to sleep, and into which we

* See the successive "guide books" of the Catacombs, from
the 7th to the 10th century. We shall often refer to them.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 43

shall soon descend, to confide to the tomb, the pre- '
cious remains of the noble heroine to whom we con- '
secrate these pages. Saint Callistus was not buried
in the retreat he had prepared for himself. Martyred
in the trans-Tiberian region, near the church of St.
Mary, the Christians, fearing they could not safely
transport his body to the Appian Way, buried him
in one of the crypts of the Aurelian. On the other
side of the hill, behind the row of Pagan tombs which,
extends to the right, in the valley formed by the depres-
sion of the soil, was a mysterious asylum, known, even
in the third century, to the Christians of the entire
world. For many years, the bodies of the holy
Apostles, Sts. Peter and Paul, rested there. In the pon-
tificate of St. Zephyrinus, they were still in their origi-
nal tombs ; the former at the foot of the Vatican on
the Triumphal Way, the latter, on the Ostian, as is
certified by Gaius, a priest of Rome, in a conference
which he held with the Montanist Proclus, in the early
part of this century.* But St. Callistus, on account
of the sacrilegious orgies of Heliogabalus, had felt
obliged to remove the holy relics to a place unknown
to the Pagatis. The Appian AVay was chosen to re-
ceive the first and greatest treasure of Christian Rome.
Heliogabalus, in his sacrilegious madness, threat-
ened to profane these sacred remains, which are, as it
were, the title deeds of the power of the Roman
Church over all others, since they bear witness that
* Troplicea Apostolorum habeo, qua? ostendere possum. Si
enim procedas via Triumphali, qutt ad Vaticanum ducit, aut
Ostiensi, corum invenies Trophaea quibus ex utraque parte sta-
tutes Romana communitur Ecclesia. Euscb. llistoria Ecdcsiast.
lib, ii. cap, xxv.

44 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

St. Peter bequeathed her his authority with his blood.
The worthless cousin of Alexander Severus, had
erected upon the Palatine, * near the palace of the
Csesars, a temple destined to receive the infamous
idol which bore his name. Being fully determined
that no god but Heliogabalus should be adored in
Rome, he not only resolved to transfer to this temple
the statue of Cybele, the fire of Vesta, the Ancilia,
the Palladium, those antique monuments of Eoman
worship, to which the Gentiles believed the destinies
of the Capital of the World to be attached, but he
had likewise declared his intention of collecting there,
• all the most sacred objects of Christian worship. We
gather from a Pagan historian, these details so valu-
able in explaining the traditions of Christian Eome.*
Saint Callistus, who was Pope at this time, and who

* Ubi primum (Heliogabalus) ingressus est urbem, omissis
iis quae in provincia gerebantur, Heliogabalum in Palatino inonte
juxta aedes imperatorias consecravit, eique templuni fecit, stu-
dens et Matris typum, et Vestae igneni, et Palladium, et Ancilia,
et omnia romanis veneranda in illud transferre templum, et id
agens ne quis Romae Deus, nisi Heliogabalus coleretur. Dicebat
praeterea Judaeorum et Samaritanorum religiones, et Christi-
anam devotionem illuc transferendam, ut omnium culturarum
secretum Heliogabali sacerdotiumteneret. Lampridius. Augusta
historia.

The historian also relates that Heliogabalus gave an exhibi-
tion of harnessed elephants on the Vatican plain ; and that not
having sufficient space for so novel an entertainment, he ordered
the sepulchres to be destroyed. The tomb of the prince of the
Apostles being subterranean, could not indeed be overturned,
but as all access to it might be rendered very impracticable for
the faithful, St. Callistus probably found in this extravagant
command, an additional motive for removing to a place of se-
curity, the remains of St. Peter, those precious relics which
were then, and ever will be, the Palladium of Christian Rome.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 45

has been immortalized by bis active interest in guard-
ing the crypts of the Appian Way, wished to protect
from dishonor, the remains of the holy Apostles, and
therefore removed them from the place where they
had hitherto been venerated by the faithful.* He
caused a sepulchral chamber to be built, the descent
into which was effected by means of a well, and there
the first Vicar of Christ, and the Doctor of the Gen-
tiles, reposed each in his own tomb for many years,
after which they were restored to their primitive
resting place. The place where they rested for that
brief interval is called the catacombs,f a name after-
wards applied more or less correctly to the Christian
crypts and cemeteries throughout the different Ways.
In leaving this sacred spot, and resuming the
course of the Appian, we see before us, towards the
left, a vast plain which extends in the direction of
the Latin Way. About half a mile distant, upon a
graceful hill, and overlooking a nymphoeum, which
was once deemed to be the site of the grotto and foun-
tain of Egeria, a prostyle temple now rears its por-
tico of four fluted columns of Pentelican marble.
This temple, built during the Eepublican period, and
less remarkable than many others which adorned the
Eoman Ways, merits nevertheless, a passing notice
from the Christian traveller. At the present day,
we are uncertain to what false divinity it was con-
secrated ; for a long time it was supposed to be the

* Panvini de Septem Urbis Ecclesiis. cap. iv. pag. 34. Moretti.
Disputatio de trauslatione corporum SS. Petri et Tauli ad Cata*
cumbas.

t Kalendariuin Bucherianum. Anastase. in Cornelio.

46 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

temple of the Camoen99, celebrated by the poets, and
mentioned on the topographical monuments of Home,
at the identical period when the name of Egeria was
given to the fountain in the valley. This opinion is
not well supported, and yet, without any better foun-
dation, the edifice bears at present, the name of
Bacchus. However this may be, we learn from tra-
dition, that it served as a retreat for the pontiff, St.
Urban. This touching reminiscence has been per-
petuated by an oratory built under the temple, in the
soft, sandy stone, and since consecrated as a church,
under the name of St. Urban. The crypts of Pretex-
tatus, branch out through the surrounding ground ;
the pontiff was, consequently, perfectly secure in his
place of concealment, which was at some distance
from the public roads, and may, moreover, have
belonged to the Christians, as did the temple of the
Camcena), under the very walls of Rome.

A Pope, already a confessor, and soon to be a mar-
tyr, seeking refuge in a Pagan temple, is a striking
feature of that secret and continual labor, by which
Christianity sapped the foundation of the religion of
the Gentiles. In connection with this fact, we may men-
tion that the Vatican crypt, which received the bleeding
body of the Prince of the Apostles, after his martyr-
dom, was excavated under a temple of Apollo,* near
the Circus of Nero. All traces of the temple have
disappeared forever ; but if the tomb of the Galilean
fisherman, unceasingly venerated by the faithful,
remains buried under its majestic shadow, the cross
upon the cupola of Michael Angclo, towering to the
* Anastase. in Petro.

LIFE OF SAIOT CECILIA. 47

very skies, proclaims that Christ, the conqueror of
false gods, reigns no longer merely in the bowels of
the earth.

Eeturning to the Appian Way, we find the third
mile-stone, near which were placed the Christian
beggars, charged with pointing out to the faithful, the
retreat of St. Urban. To the left, the sepulchre of
Cecilia Metella, rose in graceful majesty. Restii^g
upon the summit of a hill, it overlooked the tombs,
temples, and villas with which the plain was covered,
and the aqueducts which bore the tribute of lakes
and rivers to the city of the Ca3sars. This mag-
nificent monument is now but a mass of ruins,
yet it is still the most noble ornament of the Cam-
pagna. Supported upon a quadrilateral dais, and built
of travertine, it has the appearance of an elegantly
proportioned tower; the upper part is embellished
with a frieze decorated with festoons separated
by bulls' heads; the whole being crowned by a
conical roof, also in travertine.* Neither man nor
time has effaced the dedicatory inscription, placed
under the frieze, and surmounted by several trophies.
It bears the simple words :

CiECILIiE

Q. CRETICI. F.

METELLA CRASSI.

Here, then, reposed Cecilia Metella, the daughter of
Quintus C;ecilius Metellus Creticus, who was consul

* Canina (I/Arohitettura Romana, text, 3 part page 217)
maintains that the roof of Cecilia Metella' S tomb was of a coni-
cal form. A simple inspection of the interior vault of the monu-
ment, proves this conjecture to be well founded.

48 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

under Augustus, in the seventh year of the Christian
era. Crassus, the husband of Cecilia, erected this
tomb in her honor. This last scion of the house of
Crassus, is only known by the monument he erected
to his noble spouse. Cecilia herself, has no other
history than that transcribed upon the "marble. Still,
the Christian who recalls the name and virtues of
Cecilia, the spouse of Christ, can scarcely pass with
indifference, this tomb, admired even by the profane
archeologist, for its severe magnificence. The pre-
destined martyr, in going to the crypts to visit the
tombs of her family, and to receive the instructions
of St. Urban, must have more than once stopped to
gaze at this sepulchre, which contained the remains
of one of the females of her ancient and illustrious
race ; but an humble tomb in the vault of the Appian
Way, merited by sufferings endured for Christ, seemed
to her far more desirable than the most splendid
mausoleum which her opulent family could erect to
her memory in that stately Way.

The monument of Cecilia Metella served as a fort-
ress in the thirteenth century, and ever since has been
disfigured by a crown of battlements. The large
sarcophagus of marble, in which Crassus deposited
the body of his wife, was carried away in the six-
teenth century, and placed under the eortile of the
Farnese palace, where it still remains.

Let us now return to the epoch of Alexander Sev-
erus, and after casting a last glance at the sepulchre
of the Pagan Cecilia, let us ascend the hill, and ad-
mire one of the most sumptuous and luxurious
villages which embellish the vicinity of the Eternal

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 49

City. It is called the Pagus Triopius, and owes its
origin to Herod Atticus, a celebrated rhetorician,
who was consul in the year 143 of the Christian era.
This wealthy Athenian dedicated the village as a
monument to the memory of his wife, Anna Eegilla, of
the Julia family. In his inconsolable grief at the loss
of his spouse, he not only dedicated all her favorite
jewels to the Eleusinian divinities, Ceres and Pros-
erpine, distributing them among the most venerated
sanctuaries of these goddesses; but he also vowed to
them that he would expend upon this region of the
Appian Way, all the riches left by his lamented
wife. A sacred grove, a temple in honor of the two
Ceres, a sepulchral field dedicated to Minerva, and
to Nemesis, are the solemn testimonials of the regrets
of Herod Atticus, the founder of this Pagus, which
he called Triopius, in honor of Ceres, whose sanctu-
ary at Argos bore this name*

The different Greek inscriptions, representing the
dedication of this field of mourning, have been pre-
served until the present day, and the two principal, in
beautiful Pentelican marble, after having ornamented
the Borghese Villa at Eome, for two centuries, were,
in 1808, transported to Paris, where they have since
remained. The quarries of this marble, so famous in the
history of Greece, belonged to Herod Atticus, who
nearly exhausted them in the construction of the Sta-
dium Panathenaicum.f It was not long before numer-
ous dwellings were erected around the monument of

* Visconti (Ennio Quirino). Iscrlzioni greche Triopee. Rome.
1794. page 5.

f Pausanias and Philostratus, cited by Ennio Visconti, page 8.

5

50 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Anna Eegilla. The Pagus was called the abode of
hospitality, — as we find upon one of the inscriptions,
and during the reign of Alexander Severus, its popu-
lation was considerable. A temple of Jupiter was
erected upon the part which led to the Appian Way.
Later we will revisit these places.

The Appian Way becomes more level after leav-
ing the Pagus Triopius. In the distance rises Mt.
Albanus with its nine cities, its loftiest summit
crowned with the temple of Jupiter Latialis. The an-
cient Way, so long buried beneath its ruins, has reap-
peared, thanks to the munificence of the immortal Pius
IX. Innumerable monuments have been brought
to light, and we of the present day tread the pave-
ment furrowed in olden times by the chariots of the
conquerors of the world.

Near the fourth mile-stone, not far from Seneca's
villa, a pyramid of barbarian construction attracts
the eye; between Eome and Alba there are four
others very similar. It is a popular tradition that
these monuments were erected to the two Horatii and
the three Curiatii* However this may be, Livy, the
historian, asserts that these valiant champions were
buried in this locality. " Their sepulchres," he says,
" are erected on the spot where each one fell, the two
Eomans in the same tomb, near Alba; the three
Albans, nearer Eome, at a little distance from one
another, according to the scene of combat, f

* Nibby. cited by Ennio Visconti, pages 543, 544.

t Sepulcra extant quo quisque loco cecidit : duo romana uno
loco propius Albam ; tria albana Romam versus, sed distantia
locis, et ut pugnatuui est. Tit, Liv. lib. i. cap. xxv.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 51

Thus the traces of this memorable contest which
decided the victory of the Eomans over the Albans,
were not effaced from the Appian soil, and may, per-
haps, be recognizable even in our days. But the
Eome saved by the blood of the Horatii, lies buried
under the ruins heaped up by the ravages of time,
and of barbarians ; it is but a mutilated corpse of
which the fragments are exhumed ; whilst the Rome,
for which the martyrs of the Appian Way combated,
raises its imperishable head and pursues its con-
quests to regions not even coveted by the boundless
ambition of the Caesars.

It is time for us to return to the city where St.
Urban and Alexander Severus are reigning, each in
his own sphere. Gladly would we have followed the
course of the Appian to the village Tres Tabernse, for
it was there the Apostle Paul, the captive of Jesus
Christ, led from the East to the feet of Caesar to
whom he had appealed, was met by the Christians of
Eome, who had gone out to receive him.* But we
have explored sufficiently ; for already we have passed
the places which will be mentioned in our story.
Nevertheless before retracing our steps towards Rome,
let us admire at the fifth mile-stone, the monument
of Quintus Cascilius, the uncle of Cicero's celebrated
friend, Pomponius Atticus.f This tomb, the ruins of
which are still imposing, will recall to our minds the
name and race of the Christian heroine whose holy
footsteps we have traced on this Queen of Roman
Ways, where every thing speaks of Cecilia, the glory
of her ancestors, and the sublimit}? - of her virtues.

* Act. xxviii. 15.

f Cornelius Nepos. In T. Pomponio Attico. cap. xxii.

52 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

CHAPTER V.

HOUSE IN WHICH CECILIA PASSED HER YOUTH. SHE CONSECRATES
HER VIRGINITY TO GOD. HER PARENTS PROMISE HER IN MARRIAGE.
VALERIAN AND TIBURTIUS.

It is an ancient tradition of Christian Eome that
the house in which Cecilia lived until she attained a
marriageable age, was built upon the Campus Martius.
A Church called St. Cecilia de Domo,* was erected
at an early period upon the ground formerly occupied
by the palace. It was rebuilt in the last century,
through the liberality of Benedict XIII., as we will
mention in its proper place, and the following inscrip-
tion was taken from the ancient church, and engraven
in mediaeval characters upon an antique cippus :

HAEC EST DOMVS

m QVA ORABAT

SANCTA CAECILIA.f

The popular title (del divino amove) which has been
attached to .this church forcibly reminds us that it
was once the house of the Cecilii, which was truly a
temple of divine love, during the years the virgin
passed under its roof.

It is not surprising that the house of a patrician
should have been built upon the Campus Martius,
although ancient writers give us to understand that
this immense tract of ground was destined for mili-

* See the certificate of Urban III., of the Calends of March,
given in full by Fonseca. De Basilica S. Laurentii in Damaso.
Page 252.

f This is the house where Saint Cecilia prayed. This inscrip-
has been removed to the Sacristy.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 53

tary exercises. Many temples and public edifices
were erected upon a large portion of it under the
Emperors, and Augustus, in his sixth consulate,
caused his celebrated mausoleum to be constructed
between the Flaminian Way and the left bank
of the Tiber, even beyond the locality where we
have placed the palace of the Cecilii. This mau-
soleum was surrounded by groves of trees, designed
for the amusement of the people.* Later, in the
third century, many private dwellings, with gardens
attached, being erected upon the plain, the Emperors
were thwarted in the project they had conceived, of
beautifying this region with an immense and sumptu-
ous portico, the pillars of which should reach to the
Milvian Bridget This field for military exercises,
was consequently more and more circumscribed, so
that nothing prevents our believing that, during the
reign of Alexander Severus, the Cecilii family erected
a palace upon ground already covered with public
and private edifices, and situated this side of the site
where Augustus, two centuries previous, had built
his superb mausoleum. We, therefore, implicitly
believe the tradition respecting the situation of the
Cecilii palace.^ In this magnificent dwelling, deco-

* Suetonius, in Augusto. cap. 100. f Julius Capitolinus and
Trebellius Pollion, cited by Canina. Ibid, page 439.

t We may also add that there was no reason for pointing out
in Rome, the house in which Cecilia lived before her marriage,
unless an ancient and venerable tradition had been really attached
to the place where the church of St. Cecilia de Domo was after-
wards built. Rome was sufficiently rich in the possession of
the house where St. Cecilia consummated her sacrifice. This
incontestable monument sufficed for the piety of the faithful ;
there was no necessity of gratuitously imagining the existence
of a house upon the Campus Martius. 5*

54 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

rated with all the splendor of Eoman pomp, sur-
sounded by the trophies and crowns of her ancestors,
Cecilia, despising the ostentation and attractions of
the age, practised with perfect fidelity, the divine law
which Christ came to establish upon earth. History
throws no light upon the means used by the Holy
Spirit to win her to this celestial doctrine ; but we
know that from her earliest infancy, she was initiated
in the mysteries of Christianity. Probably an aged
relative, or faithful nurse, previously illuminated by
the true light, instructed the young girl in the princi-
ples of that faith, the profession of which, in those
days, almost necessarily involved the sacrifice of
earthly happiness.

Although Cecilia's parents were Pagans, they do
not appear to have opposed the attachment of their
daughter to a religion which was daily gaining ground
in Eome, and which had followers even in the impe-
rial household. Either through tenderness or indiffer-
ence, they permitted her to practise her religion, and
attend the assemblies of the Christians. During the
respite from persecution, a calm which was but the
precursor of a storm, Cecilia publicly attended the
celebration of the divine mysteries in the churches
where the faithful were wont to assemble. She fre-
quented the crypts of the martyrs, where the festivals
of those Christian heroes frequently gathered the
faithful of Eome ; and the poor, who were entrusted
with the secret of St. Urban's retreat, knew her well,
and promptly delivered all her messages.

The Christians of this period lived in continual
expectation of martyrdom; the thought of it seemed

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 55

a necessary element in all tlieir plans for tlie future ;
even as a sailor, who commences a long sea voyage,
lias ever present to his mind the dangers of a storm.
Cecilia did not shrink from this prospect, so formid-
able to nature. On the contrary, she found rest and
consolation in the thought that martyrdom would
unite her forever to Christ, who had deigned to choose
her from the bosom of a Pagan family, and to reveal
himself to her. Whilst awaiting the happy summons,
her heart was constantly united to that of her divine
Master, with whom she held colloquies day and night.*
Eavished with the charms of this interior communi-
cation, she sought Him at all times in the holy ora-
cles, and the book of the Gospels, hidden under her
garments, ever rested on her heart.f She derived
from this sacred contact, a supernatural courage which
elevated her above the weakness of human nature,
whilst the vivifying unction of the words which are
spirit and life (John vi., verse 64.) was communi-

* Non diebus, non noctibus, a colloquiis divinis et oratione
cessabat. Acta S, Cecilice, edit, of Bosio (1G00) and of Laderchi
(1723).

f This custom of the first Christians, of carrying the Gospel
concealed under their garments, was still preserved in the fourth,
and fifth centuries. St. Jerome speaks of it as being very fre-
quent among the Christian females, (in Matthaeum, lib. iv. ad
caput xxiii. 6.) and St. John Chrysostom says : They wore it
suspended around their necks. (Ad populum Antioch. Homil.
xix. n° 4.) We find remains of this pious practice among the
Irish Catholics, who, during their travels, or while ill, are in the
habit of wearing the opening verses of the Gospel of St. John,
(verses 1 — 14.) printed upon a sheet of paper. At the present
time, when so many emigrate to America, it is probable that
scarcely one could be found, who has not this sacred text sewed
in his garments.

56 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

cated to her. The hand of the celestial spouse could
alone claim the privilege of culling this fresh and
fragrant flower from among the thorns of the Gentiles,
and he inspired the heart of Cecilia with a love wor-
thy of that which he had shown her by dying upon
the cross. The virgin fully responded to the advances
of her God, and vowed in her heart never to accept a
mortal spouse. It is not known whether she received
from St. Urban the sacred veil which Pudentianaand
Praxedes had worn with honor, and which formed the
most beautiful ornament of many Eoman virgins.
Cecilia may have privately made, in the secrecy of
her own heart, the sacrifice of human affections, to
consecrate herself to an eternal love. The spouse
who had called her to be the bride of heaven, accepted
her vows, and awaited in eternity, the day of their
union. But where will this young maiden, whose
soul is in heaven while her feet still tread the earth,
find a protector in this most profane of cities, and in
the bosom of a Pagan family ? The Spouse she has
chosen will defend His bride ; He has commanded
her guardian angel to appear to her ; this celestial
messenger has assured Cecilia of his protection ; he
will shield her from the world and its perils. She
will be conscious that he is ever at her side, ready to
strike with his avenging arm, the rash mortal who
would presume to touch the treasure of heaven.

However, the virgin could not expect to gain with-
out combat the nuptial crown destined for her ; and
she was soon called upon to merit it by a painful
trial. Adorned with every natural grace, faint image
of the beauty of her soul, Cecilia was fitted for the

LIFE OP SAINT CECILIA. 57

most illustrious alliance. Her parents, proud of their
daughter, determined to unite her in marriage to some
noble patrician. Incapable of understanding the
sublime love which consumed the heart of Cecilia,
and the ties which bound her to heaven, they sought
for her an earthly spouse, and thus compelled the
bride of Christ to receive a mortal bridegroom.

Marriages between Christians and Pagans still oc-
curred at this epoch ; though they sometimes led into
difficult situations, they were often the instruments
employed by God, to gain the infidel party to the
true faith. The Church, however, conformably to
the Apostolic doctrine,* strongly disaproved of them ;
necessity alone could excuse the faithful who con-
tracted them.f Cecilia, as we have said, was forced
by the imperious will of her parents, notwithstand-
ing her vow of virginity, tc marry a young pagan.
The wisdom and greatness of God could alone triumph
over so painful a situation.

Valerian was the name of the young Eoman, des-
tined, according to human views, to receive the hand
of Cecilia. His noble birth, handsome person, and
generous qualities, seemed to render him worthy such
an honor, and he ardently longed for the day, when
he would possess the treasure coveted by so many
young patricians. The happy bridegroom had a
brother, named Tiburtius, whom he loved with that
ingenuous and devoted affection which was one of the
principal features of his character. It made him

* II. Cor. vi. 14. f We find nevertheless many celebrated ex-
amples after the third century ; In the fourth, St. Monica mar-
ried Patricius, a Pagan. In the fifth, St. Clotilda married Clovis,

58 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

happy to think that his "anion with Cecilia would
strengthen the tender bonds which united them. The
two brothers were not mistaken in their hope ; but
God alone knew to what an extent the love planted
in their hearts by Cecilia, would surpass all earthly
affection ; and how soon these two brothers and their
sister would pass to a region where pure souls are
united in the bosom of infinite love.

CHAPTER VI.

ANXIETY OP SAINT CECILIA AT HER APPROACHING tTNIOS WITH
VALERIAN. CELEBRATION OF THE MARRIAGE. CONFIDENCE RE-
POSED IN VALERIAN BY SAINT CECILIA.

Cecilia was not at liberty to refuse the testimonies
of affection lavished upon her by Valerian. Full of
esteem for the noble qualities of this young Pagan,
she could have loved him as a brother ; but she was
betrothed to him, and the wedding-day was rapidly
approaching. Who can conceive the anguish of the
young virgin? The irresistible command of her
parents, the high spirit of the young man, chilled
her blood with fear, and she had no other resource,
than to bury deeper in her soul, the chaste secret of
that love which reigned supreme in her heart.*

She knew that her angel watched over her, but she

* Parentum enim tanta vis et sponsi circa illam erat exaes-
tuans, ut non posset amorem sui cordis ostendere, et quod
Christum solum diligeret indiciis evidentibus aperire. Acta S.
CmcilicB.

LIFE OF SAINT "CECILIA. 59

would soon be forced to contend for herself; it was
time to prepare for combat. Under a magnificent
dress, embroidered with gold, she wore a hair shirt,
seeking thus to mortify her innocent flesh,* and bring
it into subjection to the spirit, that it might not recoil,
when she would be called upon to pay with her blood,
the signal honor of being the chosen bride of heaven.
Condemned to live in the midst of patrician effemi-
nacy, she took every precaution to deaden by volun-
tary suffering, that attraction to pleasure which
tyrannizes over the children of Eve, and too fre-
quently reveals to an imprudent and negligent soul,
the deep corruption of the human heart.

If, following the example of the widow of Bethulia,
Cecilia concealed under her garments the instruments
of her penance, like David, she also weakened her
flesh by rigorous fasts. According to the custom of
the first Christians, when they wished to appease
heaven, or obtain some signal favor, she abstained
from food two, and sometimes three days, only taking
in the evening a slight repast necessary to support
life.f This courageous preparation by means of
which she hoped to insure victory, was rendered still
more efficacious by her continual and ardent prayers.
With heartfelt earnestness she recommended to God
the dreaded hour ! J With tears and sighs she im-
plored the assistance of the celestial spirits who co-
operate in our salvation, of the holy Apostles, patrons

* Csecilia vero subtus ad carnam cilicio induta, desuper auro
textis vestibus tegebatur. Acta S. Ccecilice.
f Biduanis ac triduanis jejuniis orans. Ibid.
X Cominendabat Domino quod tiniebat. Ibid.

60 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

and founders of Christian Kome, of the blessed in-
habitants of heaven who protect our combats.' 55. The
favor which Cecilia so fervently solicited, was granted ;
but her celestial spouse was pleased to try his noble
bride, that her virtue might be strengthened and
purified. Was she not soon, in return for so much
suffering, to enter into the possession of eternal hap-
piness? Moreover, the approaching conflict which
was to crown her with so much glory, was but the
prelude to those combats in the midst of which, she
would require a manly courage, not yet sufficiently
developed in her heart by divine love.

The day finally arrives when Valerian is to receive
the hand of Cecilia, f The palace of the Cecilii is in
a state of commotion. The heart of the young man
bounds with happiness, and the two families, proud
of being united in their children, look forward to the
hope of a posterity worthy their ancestors. Cecilia $
is led forward, attired in the nuptial dress of the patri-
cian ladies. The purity of her soul is well repre-
sented by her simple § white woolen tunic, trimmed
with bands,|| and fastened with a white woollen gir-

* Invitabit Angelos precibus, lacryniis interpellabat Apostolos>
et sancta agmina omnia Christo fainulantia exorabat, ut suis
earn deprecationibus adjuvarant, suam Domino pndicitiam com-
mendantes. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Venit dies in quo thalamus collocatus est. Ibid.
J Claustra panditi, jannae :

Virgo adest. Viden' ut faces
Splendidas quatiunt comas ?
CatulL in nuptias Julias et Manlii. Carm. lxi
§ Plinii Nat. Histor. lib. viii. cap. lxxiv.
II Segmenta et longos habitus et flammea sumit. ^

Juvenal Sat. ii, v. 24.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 61

die * This modest apparel, the last trace of the ancient
gravity of Roman customs, was, at the same time, a
glorious reminiscence in the Cecilii family ; the plain
robe of the bride being a memento of that woven by
the royal matron, Caia Cecilia.f. The hair of the virgin,
according to custom, was divided into six tresses,^
which was at once an imitation of the Vestal head-
dress^ and a touching symbol of Cecilia's consecra-
tion.! A flame-colored veil concealed from profane
eyes her maiden beauty, on which the angels gazed
with admiration. At this solemn moment, the vir-
gin's heart was firm and calm ; she confided in the
protection of her guardian angel. For the first time,
she was compelled to endure the celebration of Pagan
ceremonies. The wine and milk were offered in her pres-
ence,^ but she turned away her eyes. The cake,

* Festus upon the word Cingulus.

f Caia Caecilia prima texuit rectam tunicam, quales cum toga
pura tirones induuntur, novceque nuptae. Plin, Nat. Hist. lib.
viii. cap. lxxiv. J Festus on the word Senis.

§ The Romans permitted brides, on the day of their marriage,
the privilege of dressing the hair like the Vestals, as a last
homage to their virginity.

|| Tollite, o pueri, faces ;

Flammeum video venire. — CatulL Carm. lxi.
Timidum nuptae leviter tectura pudorem
Lutea demissos velarunt iiarumea vultus.

Lucan. Pharsal. ii. v. 360.
We find the use of this veil, called flammeum, even in the
marriages of Christians, until the fourth century, as is attested
by St. Ambrose, (de Virginitate, cap. xv.) who calls it the
nuptial flammeum. Among the Pagans, the bride wore it to ex-
press the stability she intended maintaining in the conjugal
state, because this flame-colored veil was the distinctive badge
of the Flaminian women to whom divorce was prohibited by law.
IT Servius, in Georg. i. v. 244. Macrobe. Saturn, iii. 11.

6

62 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

symbol of alliance, was broken, * and Cecilia's timid
hand, adorned with the invisible ring of the spouse
of Christ, was placed in that of Valerian. All was
accomplished in the eyes of man, and the virgin, over
whom heaven was watching, had taken another step
towards danger. According to an ancient custom,
the bride was conducted to the dwelling of her hus-
band, at sunset.f The house of Valerian was situated
in the trans-Tiberian region, near the Salutaris Way,
a short distance from the Cestius Bridge, which con-
nects the island of the Tiber to the Janiculum dis-
trict.^: This mansion, the last earthly dwelling of
Cecilia, was destined soon to surpass in glory, the
palaces, baths, and temples, which surrounded it,§
and of which the antiquaries of the present day can
scarcely find a trace. A sanctuary, consecrated by
the blood of a virgin, it was to survive all the dis-
asters of Eome, and to proclaim through the course
of ages, the fidelity of her who dwelt for a short
period beneath its roof. Nuptial torches preceded
the retinue which accompanied Cecilia to the dwell-

* Servius, in Georg. i. v. 31. Pline. xvii. 3.
f Vesper adest, juvenes, consurgite, vesper olynipo

Exspectata diu vix tandem lumina tollit.
Jam veniet virgo, jam dicetur Hynienoeus.

Catull. Carm. lxii.
t The ancient topographical monuments of Rome describe in
the trans-Tiberian region, a district which they designate under
the name of Statuce Valeriana. This denomination, which is
not explained by any of the archaeologists, probably refers to
some monument of the Valerian family.

§ See in Canina (Roma antica. pages 533, 605) a detailed
account of the monuments of the 14th Region of Rome, situated
beyond the Tiber.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 63

ing of her husband. The crowd extolled the charms
of the young virgin, but she conversed in her heart,
with that Almighty God who preserved the three
children in the fiery furnace, and saved Daniel from
the lion's fury. These memorials of the ancient
covenant, so frequently carved upon the crypts which
Cecilia had piously visited, animated her courage, as
they had strengthened that of the martyrs. At length,
the bridal party arrived at the palace. Under the por-
tico, decorated with white tapestry, embroidered with
festoons of flowers and leaves,* Valerian awaited
Cecilia. According to the ancient custom, the bride-
groom saluted his bride with this question : " Who
art thou?" The bride replied, "Where thou art
Caius, I will be Caia."f The allusion was doubly
touching at the marriage of one of the daughters of
the Cecilii family, this formula being another remi-
niscence of Caia Cecilia, who was venerated by the
Eomans, as the type of woman, in her domestic rela-
tions. The Christian Cecilia found a more accom-
plished model in the portrait drawn by the Holy
Ghost, of the strong woman, and Valerian was soon
to comprehend the truth of this divine oracle, so
fully accomplished in his spouse. " Strength and
beauty are her clothing, and she shall laugh in the

* Necte coronam
PostFbus, et densos per limina tende corymbos.

Juvenal. Sat. vi. v. 51, 52.
Ornentur postes, et grandi janua lauro.

Ibid. v. 79.
\ Ubi ta Caius, ego Caia. Valere-Maxime. De nominum ratione.
Festus, on the words Ga'ia, llecta, and Reg ilia. Alexander ab
Alexandre Genialium dierum. ii. 5.

64 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA,

latter day. She hath opened her mouth to wisdom,
and the law of clemency is on her tongue. Her
husband rose up, and he praised her." ( Proverbs,
xxxi. 25—28.) Cecilia then crossed the threshold of
the door.* We have reason to believe, that, being
a Christian, she was not compelled to conform to the
superstitious ceremonies observed by the Eomans,
at the entrance of a bride under the conjugal roof.
Those which followed were more congenial to a
Christian. Water was presented to the bride, as an
emblem of the purity with which she should be
adorned ;f a key was placed in her hands, as a sym-
bol of the interior administration, henceforth confided
to her care ; J and finally she seated herself for a
moment upon a fleece,§ to remind her that she must
not shrink from domestic labor. The bridal party
then passed into the Triclinium, where the wedding
supper was served. During the banquet, an epithala-
mium was sung, celebrating the union of Valerian
and Cecilia, and a band of musicians made the hall
re-echo with the harmony of their instruments.!
During these profane concerts, Cecilia also sang in
the depth of her heart, and her melody was united
to that of the angels. She repeated that verse of

* Transfer omine cum bono
Limen aureolos pedes,
Rasilemdue subi forem.

Catull. Carm. lxi.
t Festus, on the word Aquce. t Festus, on the word Clavis.
§ Festus, on the word Pellis.
|| Ite, concinite in modum :
Io Hymen Hymenaee io,
Io Hymen Hymenoee.

Catull. ibid*

\

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 65

the Psalmist, so well adapted to her situation : u May
my heart and my senses remain always pure, 0, my
God ! and may my chastity be preserved inviolable."*
The Church has faithfully preserved these words of
the virgin. They are recited each year, on the day
of her triumph ; and to honor the sublime concert,
in which she sang with the celestial spirits, and which
surpassed all the melodies of earth, she has been
styled " Queen of Harmony ."

After the banquet, matrons guided Cecilia's trem-
bling steps to the door of the nuptial chamber, f deco-
rated with all the effeminacy of Eoman luxury, and
rendered still more imposing by its silence and ob-
scurity.^: Valerian followed the virgin. When they
were alone, Cecilia, strengthened by divine grace, ad-
dressed her husband these gentle and touching words :
" My generous friend, I have a secret to confide to thee ;
swear that thou wilt respect it."§ Valerian vehemently
protested that he would preserve the secret of his bride,
and that nothing should ever force him to reveal it.
" Listen, then," resumed Cecilia, " I am under the care
of an angel whom God has appointed protector of my
virginity. If thou shouldest violate it, his fury will be

« * Cantantibus organis, Csecilia in corde suo soli Domino de
cantabat dicens : Fiat cor meum ct corpus meuni immaculatum
ut non confundar. Acta S. Ccecilice.

Vos bona) senibus viris
Cognitse bene fcminae,
Collocate pucllulam. Catull. Carm. lxi.
t Sed cum licec agerentur, venit nox in qua suscepit una cum
sponso suo cubiculi secreta silentia. Ibid.

§ dulcissime et amantissime juvenis, est mysterium quod
tibi confiteor, si modo tu juratus asseras tota te illud observantia
custodire. Ibid.

6*

66 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

enkindled against thee, and thou wilt fall a victim
to his vengeance. If on the other hand, thou wilt
respect it, he will favor thee with his love, and obtain
for thee many blessings."*

Astonished and agitated, the young man, who was
unconsciously controlled by grace, replied respect-
fully : " Cecilia, if thou wishest me to believe thee,
let me see this angel. When I have seen him, if I
recognize him as one of God's angels, I will comply
with thy request ; but if thou lovest another man,
know that I will destroy both him and thee with my
sword."f

Cecilia continued with ineffable authority : " Vale-
rian, if thou wilt follow my advice, if thou wilt con-
sent to be purified by the waters of the fountain of
eternal life, if thou wilt believe in the only true and
living God who reigns in heaven, thou shalt see my
guardian angel.";]: " And who will purify me that I
may see thy Angel?" exclaimed Valerian.§ " There
is a venerable old man," replied Cecilia, "who puri-

* Angelum Dei habeo amatorem qui nimio zelo corpus meum
custodit ; hie si vel leviter senserit quod tu me polluto amore
contingas, statim circa te suum furorem exagitat, et amittis
floremtuae gratissimoB juventutis ; si autem cognoverit quod me
sincero corde et immaculato amore diligas, et virginitatem meam
integram illibatamque custodias, ita te quoque diligit sicut me,
et ostendit tibi gratiam suam. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Si vis et credam sermonibus tuis, ostende mihi ipsum An-
gelum et si approbavero quod vere Angelus Dei sit, faciam quod
hortaris ; si autem virum alterum diligis, et te et ilium gladio
feriam. Ibid,

X Si consiliis meis acquiescas, et permittas te purificari fonte
perenni, et credas unum Deum esse in coelis vivum et verum,
poteris eum videre. Ibid,

§ Et quis erit qui me purificet, ut ego angelum videam ? Ibid,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 67

fies mortals, after which they may see the Angel of *
God."* " Where shall I find this venerable old man ?"
cried Valerian. " Go out of the city by the Appian
Way," replied Cecilia, u as far as the third mile-stone,
there thou wilt find some poor beggars who ask alms
of the passers by. These poor creatures are objects
of my constant solicitude, and my secret is known to
them. When you approach them, give them my
blessing, and say to them, Cecilia sends me to you
and begs you will conduct me to the holy old man
Urban ; I have a private message to deliver to him.
When introduced into the presence of the holy man,
repeat to him what I have just told thee ; he will
purify thee and clothe thee in new and white garments.
On thy return to this apartment, thou wilt see the
holy Angel, who will then be thy friend, and obtain
for thee all thou desirest."f

* Est senior qui novit purificare homines, ut mereantur videre
Angelum Dei. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Vade in tertium milliarium ab urbe, via quae Appia nuncu-
patur ; illic invenies pauperes a transeuntibus alimonise petentes
auxilium ; de his enim mihi semper cura fuit, et optime hujus
mei secreti sunt conscii : hos tu dum videris, dabis eis benedic-
tionem meam, dicens : Caecilia me misit ad vos, ut ostendatis
mihi sanctum senem Urbanum ; quoniam ad ipsum habeo ejus
secreta mandata, quae perferam. Hunc tu, dum videris, indica
ei omnia verba mea, et dum te purificaverit, induet te vesti-
mentis novis et candidis, cum quibus, mox ut ingressus fueris
istud cubiculum, videbis angelum sanctum etiam tui amatorem
effectum, et omnia quae ab ipso poposceris, impetrabis. Ibid.

68 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

CHAPTEE VII.

VALERIAN REPAIRS TO POPE SAINT URBAN. HE IS BAPTIZED. HIS
RETURN. ARRIVAL OF TIBURTIUS.

Urged by an unknown power, the young Bom an,
a moment ago so full of fire, quitted without an effort
the virgin whose gentle accents had softened his heart,
and before day-break reached Urban, having found
every thing as Cecilia had predicted. He related to
the Pontiff his interview with his bride in the nuptial
chamber, which at once explained his presence. The
venerable old man, overjoyed at the glad tidings, fell
upon his knees, and raising his hands to heaven, his
eyes moistened with tears, exclaimed: "Lord Jesus
Christ, author of chaste resolves, receive the fruit of
the divineseed Thou hast sown in the heart of Cecilia.
Good Shepherd, Cecilia, thy servant, like an innocent
lamb,* has fulfilled the mission Thou hast confided
to her. In a moment, she has transformed her hus-
band from an impetuous lion, into a gentle lamb.

* Hughes of Saint-Cher, commenting these words of Isaias :
11 Leo et ovis simul morabuntur," ingeniously applies them to St.
Cecilia, who, like an innocent Lamb, dwelt with Valerian,
figured by the Lion. The allusion is equally clear in St Urban's
words. This renders inexplicable the change which these words
have undergone in one of the Anthems of St. Cecilia's office,
where, since the ninth century we read apis, instead of ovis.
It is evident that the text is modified by this reading, and that
the thread of the discourse is broken. The Ambrosian Missal,
in which the words of St. Urban form the Offertory of St. Cecilia's
Mass, has preserved the lesson ovis, as we read it in the Acts
of the Saint. St. Bernard likewise read it so, as we see by a
very pointed allusion, in his life of Saint Malachy.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 69

If Yalerian did not already believe lie would not be
here. Oh, Lord ! open the ear of his heart to Thy
words, that he may acknowledge Thee, his Creator,
and that he may forever renounce the devil, his
pomps, and his idols."*

Urban remained a long time in prayer ; Valerian
was deeply touched. Suddenly, a venerable old man,
with garments white as snow, appeared before them,
holding in his hand a book, written in characters of
gold. It was the great Apostle of the Gentiles, St.
Paul, the second pillar of the Eoman Church. At
this imposing sight, Valerian, half dead with terror,
fell prostrate upon the ground. The august old man
kindly assisted him to rise, saying, "Bead this book
and believe. Thou wilt then be worthy of being
purified, and of contemplating the Angel whom
Cecilia promised thou shouldst see."f

Valerian raised his eyes, and without pronouncing
the words, commenced to read the following passage :
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and
Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and

* Domine Jesu Christe, seminator casti consilii, suscipe se-
minum fructus quos in CoBcilia seminasti. Domine Jesu Christe,
Pastor bone, Caecilia famula tua, quasi ovis argumentosa tibi
deservit ; nam sponsum, quern quasi leonem ferocem accepit, ad
te Domine, quasi agnum mansuetissimum destinavit ; iste hue,
nisi crederit, non venisset : aperi ergo Domine cordis ejus januarn
sermonibus tuis, ut te Creatorem suum esse cognoscens, re-
nuntiet Diabolo, et pompis ejus, et idolis ejus. Acta S. Ccecelicc.

t Lege hujus libri textum, et crede, ut purificari merearis,
et videre angelum,cujus tibi aspectum Caecilia virgo devotissima
repromisit. Ibid.

70 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

in us all."* When tie had finished reading, the old
man said to him : " Believest thou this ?" Valerian
energetically exclaimed : " There is nothing more
true under heaven ; nothing which should be more
firmly believed." f As he ceased speaking, the old
man disappeared and left Valerian alone with the
Pontiff. St. Urban at once conducted the young man
to the fountain of salvation, and after admitting him
to the most august mysteries of the faith of Christ,
told him to return to his bride.

Cecilia had conquered, and the first trophy of her
victory, was the heart of Valerian, offered to the
Saviour of mankind. During the absence of her
husband, she had not left the nuptial chamber, still
re-echoing with the sublime converse of the preced-
ing night, and redolent with the celestial perfume of
virginity. She had unceasingly prayed for the con-
summation of the great work, her words had com-
menced, and she awaited with confidence the return
of a husband who would henceforth be dearer to her
than ever.

Valerian, habited in the white garment of the
neophytes:}: which he had just assumed, § reached the

* Unus Dominus, una fides, unum baptisma, unus Deus, et
Pater omnium, qui super omnia, et in omnibus nobis est. Acta
T #. CcEcilice.

f Cumque hoc infra se legisset, dicit ei senior : Credis ita
esse, an adhuc dubitas ? Tunc Valerianus voce magna clainavit
dicens : Non est aliud, quod verius possit credi sub coelo. Ibid.

t It should not be a matter of surprise that Valerian wore his
white dress through the streets of Rome. Garments of this
color were not unusual in a city, peopled by men of every nation,
gome of whom continually wore white.

§ Veniens igitur Valerianus indutus candidis vestimentis. Ibid.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 71

door of the chamber, and glancing respectfully around
the room, beheld Cecilia prostrate in prayer, and,
by her side, the Angel of the Lord, his face resplen-
dent as lightning, his wings brilliant with the most
gorgeous colors. The blessed spirit held in his hand,
two crowns interwoven with roses and lilies,* one of
which he placed upon the head of Cecilia, and the
other upon that of Valerian, whilst with the musical
accents of heaven, he said. kl Merit to preserve these
crowns, by the purity of your hearts, and the sanctity
of your bodies. I bring them fresh from the garden
of Heaven. These flowers will never fade, nor lose
their celestial fragrance ; but no one can see them,
who has not endeared himself to Heaven, as you
have done, by virginal purity. And now, Valerian,
as a reward for thy acquiescence in the chaste desires
of Cecilia, Christ the Son of God, has sent me to thee,
to receive any request thou dost wish to make him."f
The young man, overcome with gratitude, threw
himself at the feet of the divine messenger, and thus
expressed his desires : " Nothing in life is more
precious to me than the affection of my brother, and
now that I am rescued from peril, it would be a

* Cseciliam intra cubiculum orantem invenit, et stantem
juxta earn Angelum Domini pennis fulgentibus alas habentem,
et flameo as'pectu radientem, duas coronas habentem in manibns
coruscantes rosis, et liliis albescentes. Acta S. Ccecili(e.

f Istas coronas immaculato corde, et mundo corpore custo-
dite, quia do paradiso Dei eas ad vos attuli, et hoc vobis signum
erit, numquam marcidum aspectus sui adhibent floreni, nunquani
sni minunt snavitatem odoris, ncc ab alio videri poteruunt, nisi
ab eis quibus ita castitas placuerit sicut vobis probata est pla-
cuisse. Et quia tu, Valeriane, consensisti consilio castitatis,
misit me Christus Filius Dei ad te, ut quam volueris, petitionee
insinues Ibid.

72 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

bitter trial to leave this beloved brother exposed to
danger. I will, therefore, reduce m} r requests to one ;
I beseech Christ to deliver my brother, Tiburtius, as
he has delivered me, and to perfect us both in the
confession of His name."* The angel, turning
towards Valerian, his face radiant with that heavenly
joy which the celestial spirits experience when a
sinner is converted to God, replied, " Since thou
hast asked a favor which Christ is much more eager
to grant, than thou to desire it, thou shalt gain the
heart of thy brother as Cecilia has won thine, and
both shall receive the palm of martyrdom."!

As he concluded these words, the angel ascended
to heaven, leaving Cecilia and her husband trans-
ported with happiness. Cecilia glorified the Master
of hearts, who had so brilliantly displayed the riches
of His mercy. She trembled with joy in seeing that
Valerian's crown was, like her own, intertwined with
roses and lilies, as a proof that he also would receive
the honor of martyrdom. Tiburtius was to share
the palm with his brother, but the happy prediction
had not been extended to her. She was destined
then to survive the brothers, and assist them in their
combat ; beyond this the decrees of heaven had not

* Nihil mihi in ista vita dulcius extitit, quam unions mei fra-
tris affectus, et inipinm mihi est, ut me liberato, germanum
menm in pericnlo perditionis aspiciam ; hoc solum omnibus pe-
titionibus meis antepono, et deprecor, ut fratrem meum Tibur-
tium, sicut me, liberare dignetur, et faciat nos ambos in sui
nominis confessione perfectos. Acta S. Cwcilice.

f Audiens haec angelus laetissimo vultu dixit adeum: Quoniam
hoc petisti, quod melius quam te Christum implere delectat,
sicut te per famulam suam CaEcilium lucratus est Christus ; ita
per te quoque tuum lucrabitur fratrem, et cum eodem ad mar-
tyrii palmam pervenies. Ibid.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 73

been revealed. Valerian and Cecilia spent the ensu-
ing hours in pious conversation, encouraging each
other to merit the crowns which the Angel had placed
upon their brows. The neophyte, filled with the
divine love which participation in the sacred mys-
teries had kindled in his heart, spoke with the fer-
vor of a recent convert ; Cecilia, initiated from her
infancy in the doctrine of salvation, expressed her-
self with the experience and authority of a tried
Christian. In the midst of this holy conversation,
Tiburtius, impatient to see his brother, entered, and
interrupted a colloquy worthy of angels. Saluting
Cecilia, the wife of his beloved brother, he respect-
fully approached and imprinted upon her forehead
a fraternal kiss;* but w r hat was his surprise in per-
ceiving the most delightful perfume issuing from
her hair. " Cecilia I" cried he, " whence comes this
delicious odor of roses and lilies, at this season of the
year? Were I to hold in my hand a boquet of the
most fragrant flowers, their perfume would not equal
that which I now inhale. It is so marvellous that
it seems to renew my whole being."*!* " It is I,
O Tibertius," replied Valerian, J " who have ob-

* Illis epulantibus in Christo, atque in sedificatione sancta
sermocinantibns, Tiburtius Valerianifrateradvenit, et ingressus
est quasi ad cognatam suam, osculatus est caput sancta? Caeciliae,
et ait, etc. Acta S. Cvecilice,

f Miror hoc tempore roseus hie odor et liliorum unde respiret ;
nam si tenerem ipsas rosas, aut ipsa lilia in manibus meis, nee
sic potuernnt odoramenta mihi tantae suavitatis intundere ; con-
fiteor vobis, ita sum refectus, ut putem me totum subito reno-
vatum. Iibd.

t It is almost useless to observe that Valerian, under this
figurative language, referred to the mystery of the Blessed

7

74 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

tained for thee the favor of enjoying this sweet odor,
and if thou wilt only believe, thou wilt also see the
flowers whence it comes. Thou wilt then know Him
whose blood is crimson as roses, whose flesh is white
as lilies. Cecilia and I wear crowns which thy eyes
cannot yet behold. The flowers of which they are
composed, are brilliant as purple, and spotless as
snow."* " Is this all a dream, Valerian, or art thou
speaking the truth ?" cried Tiburtius. " Until now,"
replied Valerian, " our whole life has been a dream.
At last we have discovered the truth, and there is
no deceit in us ; the gods we adored are but devils."
11 How dost thou know this?" asked Tiburtius.
Valerian answered : " The Angel of God instructed
me, and thou canst also see this blessed spirit if thou
wilt consent to be purified from the stain of idolatry."
11 How long," demanded Tiburtius, " must I wait for
this purification which will render me worthy of
beholding the Angel of God?" "A very short
time," replied Valerian; "only swear to me that
thou dost renounce the idols and acknowledge there
. is one only God, who dwells in heaven." " I cannot
understand," cried Tiburtius, " why thou dost exact
of me this promise."

Eucharist, which was concealed from the Pagans, and revealed
to the Catechumens only a few days before their baptism.

* Odorem quidem meruisti, me interpellate, suscipere,
modo te credente promereberis etiam ipso roseo aspectu gaudere,
et intelligere cujus in rosis sanguis florescit, et in liliis cujus
corpus albescit ; coronas enim habemus, quas tui oculi videre
non prevalent, floreo rubore, et niveo candore vernantes.
Acta S. Ccecilice.

LIFE OF SAIKT CECILIA. 75

CHAPTER VIII

INTERVIEW OP TIBURTIUS WITH ST. CECILIA AND VALERIAN. HIS
CONVERSION AND BAPTISM.

Cecilia had maintained perfect silence during the
dialogue between the brothers : the ardent zeal of
Valerian had left her no time to speak, and besides, it
was but proper that he should be the first to address
his brother. But the virgin, who had been nourished
from her childhood in the evangelical doctrine,
understood much better than her husband, how to
convert a Gentile from the errors of idolatry. Eecall-
ing the arguments employed against idols, by the
ancient prophets, the Christian apologists, and the
martyrs, Cecilia thus spoke :

M I am astonished, Tiburtius, that thou hast not
already understood that statues of clay, wood, stone,
brass, or any other metal, cannot be gods. How can
any one esteem as gods, vain idols, upon which
spiders spin their webs, and birds build their nests?*
Statues, composed of materials drawn from the earth
by the hand of malefactors, condemned to the mines.
Tell me, Tiburtius, is there any difference between
a corpse and an idol ? A corpse has all its members,

* The Pagans surrounded the heads of their divinities with
a nimbus to protect them from being injured by the weather, or
by the birds of which Cecilia speaks. The nimbus, found in
Egypt and among the Etruscans, at a later period, was considered
a mark of veneration to the statue which it adorned ; but Tibul-
lus and Horace speak of the nimbus in its original signification.
Cecilia's invective is an additional proof of the antiquity of our
acts.

76 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

yet it possesses neither breath, voice, nor feeling.
An idol also has all its members, but those members
are incapable of action, and, consequently, far inferior
to those of a dead man. At least, during his life,
the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, feet, and hands of the
man, fulfilled their office; but the idol began with
death, and remained dead ; it never lived, nor even
had the power to live.' 1 *

Tiburtius, suddenly impressed with the emptiness
of the idols before which he had offered incense, ex-
claimed : " Yes, it is so, and he who does not under-
stand it, is upon a level with the brutes.f" Cecilia,
overcome with joy at this reply, pressed to her heart
the pagan who already commenced to see the light.
11 1 recognize thee as my brother !" she exclaimed.
11 The love of Christ has made Valerian my husband ;
the contempt thou dost profess for idols, makes me
truly thy sister. The moment has arrived when thou
wilt believe ; go then, with thy brother, and receive
the sacrament of regeneration. Thou shalt then see
the angel, and obtain forgiveness for all thy sins."J

Tiburtius then turned to Valerian "who is the
man to whom thou wilt conduct me?" " A great
personage," replied Valerian ; " he is called Urban ;

* Acta S. Ccecilice.

\ Tunc cum omni alacritate Tiburtius ait : Qui ita non credit
pecus est. Ibid,

X Hsec dicente Tiburtio, Sancta Coecilia osculato est pectus
ejus, et dixit: hodie ineum te fateor vere esse cognatum ; sicut
enim mihi amor Domini fratrem tuum conjugem fecit, ita te
mihi cognatum contemptus faciet idolorum : unde quia paratus
es ad credendum, vade cum fratre tuo ut purificationem accipias,
per duam inerearis angelicos vuitus aspicere, et omnium tuarum
veniam invenire culparum. Ibid,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 77

he is a venerable old man, with white hair, an angelic
countenance, and whose conversation is full of truth
and wisdom." " Can it be," said Tiburtius, "the
Urban whom the Christians call their Pope? I have
heard that he has already been twice condemned,
and that he is concealed in some subterranean vaults,
I know not where. If he be discovered, he will be
cast to the flames, and if we are found with him, we
will share his fate. Thus in recompense for seeking
a divinity concealed in Heaven, we will suffer upon
earth cruel torments."*

Although Tiburtius had learned to despise the idols,
he did not yet contemn the sufferings of this world.
Cecilia came to his assistance. "If this life were
the only one," said she, " if there were no other, we
would be reasonable in fearing to lose it; but if there
be another life which will never end, should we dread
losing that which is transitory, when at the price of
this sacrifice, we shall win that which will last
forever?"

Such language was very novel to a young man
educated in the Eoman society of the III. century, a

* Tunc dicit fratri suo Tiburtius : Obsecro, frater, ut dicas
mihi ad quern me ducturus es ? Respondit Valerianus : Ad mag-
num virum, Urbanum nomine, in quo est aspectus angelicus, et
veneranda canities, sermo verus, et sapientia conditus. Dicit ei
Tiburtius : Tu ilium Urbanum dicis, quern Papam suum Chris-
tiani nominant ? Hunc ego audivi jam secundo damnatum, et
iteruin pro ipsa re qua damnatus est latebram sui proecavere
fovendo ; iste si inventus fuerit, sine dubio atrocibus dabitur
flammis, et, ut dicisolet, centenas exolvet, et nos simul cremabi-
mur, si ad ilium fuerimus inventi, et dum qu 86 rim us divinitatem
in coelis latentem, incurrimus furorem exurentem in terris.
Acta S. Ccecilice.

78 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

society, remarkable alike for the most humiliating
superstitious, a corruption of morals worthy of
Heliogabalus, and all the aberrations of sceptical
philosophy ; he therefore replied to the young virgin.
" I have never heard such a doctrine; can there be
another life after this!" "But," answered Cecilia,
" is the life we possess in this world, worthy the
name? After having been the sport of every suf-
fering, both of soul and body, it terminates in death
which puts an end to its pleasures, and its pains.
When it ceases, we can scarcely believe it has ever
existed ; for that which is gone forever, is as nothing.
As to the second life which succeeds the first, it has
endless joys for the just, eternal torments for the
wicked." " But who has lived this life?" asked Ti-
burtius, " who has returned to tell us what passes
there? Upon whose testimony can we believe it?"
Then Cecilia, rising with the majesty of an Apostle,
uttered these 'forcible words :* " The Creator of hea-
ven and earth and of all they contain, engendered a
Son out of His own substance, before all beings, and
by His divine virtue produced the Holy Ghost ; the
Son, that through Him, He might create all things ;
the Holy Ghost, that He might vivify them. All that
exists, the Son of God, engendered by the Father, has
created ; all that is created, the Holy Ghost, who pro-
ceeds from the Father, f has animated.";]:

* Tunc beata Caecilia erigens se stetit, et cum magna con-
stantia dixit. Acta S. Ccecilice.

t St. Cecilia speaks twice of the Holy Ghost as proceeding
from the Father, without saying that He also proceeds from the
Son. Such was the language of the primitive Church, which
rarely insisted upon the procession of the Holy Ghost with

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 79

"But how is this, Cecilia P cried Tiburtius; "a
moment ago thou did'st say we should believe in one
only God, who is in heaven, and now thou speakest
of three Gods." Cecilia replied : " There is but one
God in His majesty, and if thou wouldst understand
how He exists in the Holy Trinity, listen to this com-
parison. A man possesses wisdom ; by wisdom we
mean genius, memory, and understanding; genius,
which discerns truths ; memory, which retains them ;
and understanding, which examines them. Do we
then believe the same man possesses three different
kinds of wisdom, or do we not rather say that he
exercises his wisdom by three separate faculties?
How then can we hesitate to acknowledge a ma-
jestic Trinity in the essential unity of the omnipotent
God?"*

Tiburtius, dazzled by the brilliancy of so august a
mystery, exclaimed : " O, Cecilia ! a human tongue
could not give such enlightened explanations ; the
angel of God speaks by thy mouth [" Such was the

respect to the Son. This is not the proper place to explain the
reasons which rendered the confessions of the Church less ex-
plicit, upon this dogma, during the early ages. These words
of the Saint, are an additional proof of the antiquity of our
history.

} Cceli, terrseque, maris, et omnium volucrum, repentium,
pecudumque creator ex se ipso antequam ista omnia faceret,
genuit Filium, et protulit ex virtute sua Spiritum sanctum ;
Filium ut crearet omnia ; Spiritum, ut vivificaret universa ; om-
nia autem quae sunt, Filius ex Patrie genitus condidit ; universa
autem quaxondita sunt, ex Patrie procedens Spiritus sanctus
animavit. Acta S. C&cilim.

* Unus est Deus in maj estate aua, quern ita in sancta Tri-
nitate dividimus, ut in uno hoinine dicimus esse sapientiam,
quam sapientiam dicimus habere ingenium, memoriam et intel-

80 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

lively gratitude with which this young man wel-
comed the divine light that was beginning to dawn
upon his soul. He did not venture again to address
the virgin, the interpreter of heaven ; but turning
towards his brother Valerian, he said : "I willingly
confess, the mystery of one only God no longer arrests
me ; I desire but one thing, to hear the continuation
of this discourse which will satisfy all my doubts."
11 Thou should'st apply to me, Tiburtius," said Cecilia,
" thy brother, newly clothed in his baptismal robe, is
unable to answer all thy questions. But I have been
instructed from my cradle in the wisdom of Christ ;
thou wilt find me ready to* solve all the difficulties
thou may'st wish to propose."* " Well," answered
Tiburtius, " I wish to know who has told you of that
other life of which you both speak?"

The virgin, resuming her discourse with divine
enthusiasm, continued : " The Father sent His only
Son from heaven to earth to be conceived in the
womb of a virgin. This divine Son, from the sum-
mit of a mountain, proclaimed these words ; ' Come
ye all to me." At once, people of every age and
condition hastened to Him. He then said to them ;

lectum : nam ingenio adinveninius quodnos didicimus : memoria
tenemus quod docemur ; intellectu advertimus quicquid vel
videre nobis contigerit, vel audire ; quid modo faciemus ? Num-
quid non ista tria una sapientia in homine possidet? Si ergo
homo in una sapientia trium possidet numerum, quomodo non
Deus omnipotens in una Deitate suae Trinitatis obtinet majes-
tatem ? Acta S. Ccecilice.

* De his mecum loquere, quia tyrocinii tempus fratrem ttium
tibi prohibet dare responsum : me antem, quam ab ipsis incuna-
bulis Christi sapientia docuit, ad quameumque causam quaerere
volueris, imparatam habere non poteris. Ibid.

LIFE GF SAINT CECILIA. 81

1 Do penance for the sins of which you have been
guilty ; for the kingdom of God which will put an
end to the kingdom of men is at hand. God will
admit into this kingdom those who have believed,
and will confer the highest honors upon those who
have been most holy. The wicked shall be punished
with eternal torments ; they shall be devoured by
fire, but shall never be consumed. The just shall
be surrounded with an eternal splendor of glory, and
endless delights shall be their portion. Seek no
longer, children of men, the fleeting joys of this
life; but ensure for yourselves the eternal felicity of
the life to come. The former is short, the latter will
last forever.' The nations did not at first believe in
this oracle ; they asked: ' Who has entered into this
life and returned to certify to us the truth of what
thou sayest ?' The Son of God replied : * If I raise
from the dead, those whom you yourselves have
buried, will you still refuse to believe the truth? If
you will not believe my words, at least believe my
miracles.'* To prove the truth of His words, He,

* It is easy to perceive that St. Cecilia, in her oratorical dis-
course, announces evangelical facts in a general way, not literally
conformable to the New Testament. Our Saviour did not address
the whole human race, but only the Jewish nation. We must
acknowledge, however, that in speaking to the Jews, He came
for all, and intended that His law should be preached to all. If
Cecilia had spoken in a less general manner, Tiburtius would
not have understood the explanation she gave him. Thus the
Jews, as a nation, did not make to our Saviour the objection of
which Cecilia speaks, but the Gentiles, to whom the Apostles
preached, frequently alleged it. It is likewise true that at the
time of the advent of the Messiah, materialism had made con-
siderable progress among the Jews. The Sadducees, in particu-
lar, professed the grossest sensualism, and the number of carnal
Jews far exceeded that of the spiritual.

82 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

in presence of the people, raised to life persons who
had been buried three or four days, and whose bodies
had already become putrified. He walked upon the
sea, commanded the wind, stilled tempests. He re-
stored sight to the blind, speech to the dumb, hear-
ing to the deaf, the use of their limbs to the lame and
paralytic; he put the devils to flight, and delivered
the possessed.

"The impious were irritated at these miracles,
because the people left them to attach themselves to
Him, and threw their garments under His feet, ex-
claiming: ' Blessed is He who cometh in the name
of the Lord.* Men, called Pharisees, jealous of his
success, betrayed Him to the governor, Pilate, say-
ing that He was a magician and a man guilty of
every crime. They excited a tumultuous sedition,
in the midst of which they crucified Him. Knowing
that His death would effect the salvation of the
world, He permitted Himself to be taken, insulted,
scourged, and put to death. He knew that His
passion alone could chain the devil, and confine the
"unclean spirits in their place of punishment. He,
therefore, who had never committed sin, was loaded
with chains, in order that the human race might be
delivered from the bonds of sin. He who is forever
blessed was cursed, that we might be freed from
malediction. He suffered Himself to be the sport of
the wicked, to snatch us from the illusions of the
devil whose playthings we were. lie was crowned
with a crown of thorns, to deliver us from the capi-
tal punishment which the thorns of our sins had
merited. He tasted the gall presented Him, in older

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 83

to expiate the sensuality of our first parents, by
which sin had entered into the world. In His thirst
they gave Him vinegar to drink, and He willingly
accepted it, for it was His wish to drain the chalice
we had merited. He was stripped of His garments,
that He might cover with a robe of dazzling
whiteness, the nudity produced in our first parents
by the serpent's perfidy. He was nailed to the
tree of the Cross to take away the prevarication
which had come by a tree. He permitted death to
approach Him, that it might be overthrown in the
struggle ; and that, as it had reigned by the serpent,
it might become with the serpent, the captive of
Christ. Finally, when the elements contemplated
their Creator, elevated upon the cross, they were
seized with fear ; the earth quaked, the rocks were
rent, the sun was obscured, and darkness covered the
whole world. A bloody cloud intercepted the pale
rays of the moon, and the stars disappeared from the
heavens. The graves were opened, and many bodies
of the saints that had slept, arose, to attest that the
Saviour had descended into hell, that He had snatched
the devil's sceptre from his hands, and that in dying
he had conquered death, which henceforth should be
chained under the feet of those who should believe
in Him.

"Now thou seest why we rejoice when we are ill-
treated for His sake, and why we glory in persecu-
tion. It should be thus, since we know that this
perishable and miserable life will be followed by
the eternal life, which the Son of God promised to
His Apostles, after His resurrection, before ascend

84 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

ing to heaven. The testimony of three persons is
sufficient to satisfy a wise man, but Christ, after His
resurrection, appeared not only to His twelve apos-
tles, but to more than five hundred persons, that there
might not be the slightest pretext for doubting so
astonishing a prodigy. His disciples who were sent
by Him to preach these marvels throughout the
entire world, supported their doctrine by the most
evident miracles. In his name, they cured all kinds
of diseases, cast out devils, and raised the dead to
life. I think, Tiburtius, I have now fully answered
thy questions ; reflect if it be not well to contemn
the present life, and seek with ardor and courage
that which will follow. He who believes in the Son
of God, and observes His commandments, will not
die when his perishable body is placed in the tomb;
he will be received by the holy angels, and conducted
to Paradise. But death and hell combine to distract
man with a thousand useless cares, and to engage
his thoughts with a multitude of imaginary wants.
Sometimes he is intimidated by an approaching mis-
fortune ; at others, seized with a desire of wealth ;
again, he is fascinated with sensual beauty, or lured
by intemperance ; in fine, by inducing man to aban-
don himself to the free gratification of his carnal
appetite, death successfully produces such a total
forgetfulness of the future, that his soul, when sepa-
rated from the body, is found entirely void of merit,
loaded only with the overpowering weight of sin.
I feel, Tiburtius, that I have merely touched upon a
few points of this grand subject; if thou wishest me
to continue, I am at thy service.*" But the young

* Acta S. Ccecilice.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 85

Pagan had understood every thing, and the rapid
discourse of Cecilia had completely changed his soul.
His tears flowed abundantly, and his heart was rent
with sighs. His soul had not been hardened by the
vices which spring from the love of pleasure or of
wealth. "If ever," he cried, throwing himself at
Cecilia's feet, " my heart or my thoughts cling to
this life, I consent not to enjoy that which will fol-
low. Let the giddy and thoughtless revel if they
will, in the senseless pleasures of the present ; until
now I have lived without an object : it shall not be
so henceforth."* After having made this promise to
the virgin, Tiburtius turned to Valerian. " My dear
brother," he exclaimed, " take pity on me ; delay no
longer ; every detention alarms me, and I can no
longer support the weight which overpowers me. I
beseech thee to conduct me immediately to the man
of God, that he may purify me, and render me a par-
ticipant of that life, the desire of which already con-
sumes my heart."f But two days had elapsed since
the marriage of Cecilia, when Tiburtius received the
grace of baptism, and thus, Christian virginity reaped
its glorious fruit. " The faithful wife," as St. Paul
had said, :: sancxiiied the unbelieving husband,";]: who
by the merit of his faith, obtained the conversion

* Si de ista vita ulterius, vel mente tractavero, vel cogitavero,
vel cogitatione qusesierc, in ilia vita non inveniar ; habeant
stulti lucrum labentis temporis, ego qui usque hodie sine causa
vixi, jam non sit sine causa quod vivo. Acta S. Ccecilh*.

f Miserere mei, f rater charissime, et rumpe moras, quarum
nexus patior ; dilationes timeo, pondus ferre non possum : ob-
hecro te, perdue me ad hominem Dei, ut me purificans ilius
vitae participem faciat. Ibid. t Cor. vii. 14.

8

86 LIFE OF SAIXT CECILIA.

of his brother. Valerian and Tiburtius took leave
of Cecilia, whose presence in this once Pagan house,
had been the pledge of so many favors, and hastily
set out in search of Urban. With what joy the
angels must have gazed upon these two brothers,
wending their steps toward the Appian Way, one
clothed in his baptismal robe, the other panting like
a hart for the waters of the fountain.*

When they reached the Pontiff, they related all
that had occurred since the neophyte's return to his
bride, and the holy old man rendered thanks to God
for having reserved such glorious triumphs for his faith-
ful servant. He received Tiburtius with joy, and the
young man soon descended into the pool of salvation,
whence he returned, purified, relieved of his burden,
breathing with delight the pure air of the new life
which he had so ardently longed to embrace. Vale-
rian returned to Cecilia, after accomplishing the seven
days, during which, according to custom, he wore the
white robes. The Pontiff retained Tiburtius during
these seven days, and, by the unction of the Holy
Ghost, consecrated him a soldier of Christ. The.
young man was completely changed ; the symbolical
palms and crowns which he had seen engraved upon
the martyrs' tombs, excited new ardor in his soul ;
he may, perhaps, have had some presentiment that
the day was not far distant when his own mortal
remains, and those of Valerian, would be buried by
Cecilia under the funereal arches where he had re-
ceived the mystery of his regeneration. In awaiting
this glorious consummation, the angels of God fre-
* Ps. xli. 1.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 87

quently visited and conversed with him. If he
breathed a desire to heaven, these celestial messen-
gers hastened to obtain it for him whom they already
considered their brother.*

Cecilia and Valerian admired the marvels of divine
grace in the heart of Tiburtius, and the bonds which
united the three friends were strengthened each day.
The influence of this holy house was sensibly felt
throughout Borne, and the Christians rejoiced in the
honor reflected upon their faith by the noble exam-
ple of virtue, daily given by this patrician family,
which esteemed itself so happy in having become a
part of the family of Christ. Cecilia, however, by
the influence of her character, and the masculine elo-
quence of her words, seemed to be the presiding
spirit. She was no longer the timid virgin, aban-
doned by her parents to an idolatrous husband ;
henceforth, armed for every kind of struggle, ready
for every combat, and shrinking from no act of de-
votedness, she was one of the most solid supports of
the Church of Eome.

Having become the dispensatrix of a large fortune,
she was enabled to satisfy her ardent love for the
poor of Christ. She, nevertheless, without detriment
to her humility, or to Christian modesty, continued to
wear the dress and ornaments suitable to her rank.f

* Tantam deinceps gratiam consecutus est Domini, ut et
Angelos Domini videret quotidie, et omnium quae poposcisset a
Domino protinus eveniret effectus. Acta sanctce Ctvcilice.

f Several portraits may be seen in the Catacombs, of female
martyrs richly attired; these frescoes date back to the third
century. Two figures in the cemetery of Priscilla in the Sala-
rian Way, have been reproduced by Agincourt. (Histoire de

88 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA,

Superior to the vanities of her sex, trampling under
foot the world and its pomp, sighing day and night
for the moment when her celestial Spouse would
deliver her from this body of death, Cecilia could not
be ranked among the Christian women, who, slaves
to dress and fashion, merited the invectives of Ter-
tullian. " I do not know," he had said to them, " if
hands accustomed to bracelets, can support chains ;
if feet adorned with anklets, can support the pressure
of manacles. I fear that heads covered with a net-
work of pearls and precious stones, will scarcely leave
room for the sword."* In fact, Christian women
ought never to lose sight of the moment when they
might be summoned to confess their faith in Jesus
Christ. Cecilia ardently sighed for it ; she longed to
divest herself of the world's livery, to be clothed
with a nuptial robe purpled with her blood. In the
meantime, she continued to mortify her innocent
body, by a rough hair shirt which she concealed
under her rich, luxurious garments.

l'Art par les monuments. Peinture. Planche viii ) The invec-
tives of Tertullian in his work De cultu fccminarum., likewise
attests the custom sanctioned by the example of many Christian
ladies, of wearing the garments used before their baptism. The
bearing of this remark will be apparent in the continuation of
our history.

* Ceterum nescio an manus spatalio circumdari solita in duri-
tiam catenae stupescere sustineat. Nescio an crus periscelio
laetatum in nervum se patiatur arctari. Timeo cervicem, ne
margaritarum et smaragdorum laqueis occupata, locum spatae
non det. De cultu fcemnarum. Cap. xiii.

MPE OF SAINT CECILIA. 89

CHAPTER IX.

ALEXANDER SEVERUS LEAVES ROME — VIOLENCE EXERCISED AGAINST

THE CHRISTIANS VALERIAN AND TIBURTIUS ARE SUMMONED

BEFORE THE PREFECT OF ROME — INTERROGATORY OF TIBURTIUS.

It was now spring, and, according to custom, the
Eoman army was about to commence its summer
campaign. Whether the war undertaken by Alexan-
der against the Persians broke out this year,* or
whether his arms were directed against other enemies,
certain it is that he absented himself from Borne with
so much solemnity, that the medals of his reign have
left a memorial of it to posterity. The Prefectf of
Eome at this time, was Turcius Almachius, a man
well known by the hatred he bore the Christians. As
we have before stated, antipathy against the new reli-
gion was so violently fermenting in the hearts of the

* We are rather inclined to agree with Pagi and F. Blanchini
that in this year, 230, Alexander was engaged in an expedition
against the Persians ; however this may be, the monuments of
the epoch prove that there was an expedition to the East, and a
victorious return. Mezzabarba refers to this year the three
following medals ; the first, upon which the prince is designated :
IMP. CES. ALEXAND.AUG, presents a sun rising
tin the east. The two others represent — one, Alexander, holding
a laurel branch and a standard ; the other, the victorious Em-
peror, surrounded by soldiers, and borne on a triumphal chariot.
Ekkel is nol so positive as Mezzabarba, regarding the precise
dates of these medals, but he formally admits that Alexander
may have gone to the East in 230. This concession, joined to
the positive assertion of the authors mentioned above, is suffi-
cient to render our history perfectly clear.

t The Prefect of Rome, Prasfectus Urbis, exercised a purely
civil magistracy, and should not be confounded with the Prefect
of the Praitorium.

8*

90 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

first magistrates of the empire, that they could scarce-
ly support the tolerance, imposed upon them by the
personal conduct of the Emperor. The moment was
therefore most favorable to persecute the odious sect,
and Alexander's character gave little reason to fear
his serious displeasure. The ancient edicts were still
in force, and the prince was not a man to acknowl-
edge in favor of the Christians, a patronage rejected
by the laws of the empire. Besides, there would be
sufficient time to throw the blame upon the Christ-
ians themselves, since the presence and progress of
these enemies of the human race were naturally cal-
culated to rouse the passions of the people, and thus
occasion a sedition which would render it the magis-
trate's duty to punish those, who, if not its authors,
were at least the eternal pretext for disturbance.

Almachius first directed his violence against the
great body of Christians who belonged to the plebian
order. The carnage was very great, the more so as
the prefect did not fear their opposition. Not satis-
fied with mangling their bodies by every species of
torture, Almachius also resolved that they should not
be interred.* The first Christians were most zealous
in burying their brother martyrs, and many among
them obtained the crown of martyrdom in accomplish-
ing this pious duty.

The city of the glorious dead already extended its
vast and gloomy ways all around the ramparts of
Eome, of which it formed the invisible bulwark.

* Turcius Almachius Urbis Prsefectus Sanctos Domini fortiter
laniabat, et inhumata jubebat eorum corpora derelinqui. Acta
SancUB Cceciliaz,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 91

Nevertheless its avenues, although crossed in every
direction, were not yet sufficiently large for the
numerous soldiers of Christ who were to be immo-
lated in the terrible persecutions of Maximinus, De-
cius, and Diocletian. There reposed in peace, * that
valorous phalanx of soldiers whose blood had cemented
the edifice of the church ; but the tempest roused by
Almachius would have rendered it necessary to com-
press still more the already crowded ranks of this
silent dwelling, had not Urban's predecessor, St. Cal-
listus, foreseen in his pastoral zeal this necessity, and
excavated that vast cemetery of the Appian Way, to
which as we have previously stated, his name is
attached.f The Christians who devoted themselves
to the touching and perilous ministry of burying the
martyrs, frequently purchased with gold the remains
of their brothers. They lovingly re-united the limbs
separated by the sword, and gathered the blood with
sponges which they afterwards pressed into vials or
ampullse ; and to preserve for Christian posterity the
full testimonials of the martyrs' victory, they sought
diligently even for the instruments of torture. New
Eome was destined to repose upon this superhuman
foundation, that the hand of God, and not that of man,

* In pace. These two words, so frequently engraven on the
tombs of the martyrs, exprass the repose to which the first Chris-
tians aspired after their combats. They are taken from the
words of Ecclesiasticus. (xliv. 14). Corpora ipsorum, in pace
sepulta sunt. Which the Roman church still chants in the office
of martyrs.

f Fecit aliud ccemeterium Via Appia, ubi multi Sacerdotes et
Martyresrequiescunt, quod appellatur usque inhodiernum diem
Caiineterium Callisti. Anastas. in Calixto,

92 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

might be evident in the astonishing transformation
which was soon to take place.

Valerian and Tiburtius distinguished themselves
among all the Christians of Eome by their zeal in
gathering the bodies of the martyrs. They spent
their wealth in preparing places of interment for these
generous athletes, poor according to the flesh, but
already kings in the palaces of heaven. Eager to
testify their respect for these precious remains, they
anointed them with the richest perfumes,* whilst at
the same time by abundant alms they provided for
those families, who, by the loss of their principal mem-
bers, had been deprived of the means of subsistance.

The two brothers were soon denounced to the pre-
fect, both for their donations to the lower classes, and
for their transgression of the law, forbidding the inter-
ment of the martyrs. They were consequently arrested
and led before the tribunal of Almachius. The pre-
fect had no intention of condemning the two patricians
whom he had summoned before him ; he merely
wished to intimidate them, and obtain satisfaction for
their having publicly violated his orders.

"How is it possible!" he said to them, "that you,
scions of a noble family, can have so far degenerated
from your blood as to associate yourselves with the
most superstitious of sects? I hear that you are

* If the Christians expended little in incense which the Pa-
gans used so freely in their sacrifices, they compensated for this,
as Tertullian says, by the value they set on perfumes, using
them profusely in the burial of martyrs. "Thura plane non
emimus. Si Arabia? queruntur, scient Sabsei pluris et carioris
suas merces Christianis sepeliendis pronigari, quam diis fumi-
gandis." Apologet. Cap. xlii.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 93

squandering your fortune upon people of the basest
extraction, and that you even go so far as to bury
with honor the bodies of wretches who have been
punished for their crimes. Must we conclude that
they are your accomplices, and that this is the motive
which induces you to give them honorable burial ?"

It is easily seen by the prefect's language that he
had acted without the emperor's orders in his violent
proceedings against the Christians; he invoked no
edict, preferring to impute to imaginary crimes the
cruel death which so many of the faithful had suffered
by his orders. The younger of the brothers was the
first to answer. u Would to heaven !" cried Tiburtius,
" that those whom you call our accomplices, would
deign to admit us among the number of their servants.
They have had the happiness of despising that which
appears something, and is nevertheless nothing; in
dying, they have obtained that which is not apparent,
and yet is the only reality. May we imitate their
holy lives, and walk one day in their footsteps I"

Almachius, completely disconcerted by this coura-
geous reply, endeavored to interrupt the young patri-
cian by remarking the striking resemblance between
the two brothers. " Tell me, Tiburtius," he asked,
" which is the older of you two ?" Tiburtius replied,
" my brother is not older than I, nor am I younger
than he ; the One Holy, Eternal God has made us
equals by His grace."* "Well," resumed Alma-
chius," tell me what is that which appears something,
and is nothing?" " Every thing in this world," Ti-

* Nee hie major, nee ego minor, quia nnus est Dens sauetus
aeternus, qui nos sua gratia coaequavit. Acta S. Ccccilice.

94 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

burtius warmly replied, " every thing which leads
souls to eternal death, the inevitable end of the happi-
ness of this life." "Now tell me," continued Al-
machius, "what is that which is not apparent, and
yet is the only reality?" "It is," answered Tibur-
tius, " a future life of happiness for the just and of
eternal torments for the wicked. Both rapidly ap-
proach, and yet, through a fatal self-delusion, we turn
away the eyes of our heart that we may not see this
inevitable future. Our bodily eyes are fixed upon
present objects, and we seek to deceive our conscience
by branding virtue with the epithets that belong only
to evil, while we embellish evil with the qualities
which pertain solely to virtue."

Almachius interrupted the young man: "I am
convinced," said he, "the sentiments which you ex-
press do not proceed from the spirit which animates
you." " You are right," replied Tiburtius, " I do not
speak according to that spirit of the world which once
animated me; but according to the spirit of Him
whom I have received into the inmost recesses of my
soul, — the Lord Jesus Christ."* " Do you know
what you are saying?" angrily retorted the prefect,
indignant at hearing the young man pronounce that
sacred name which attested the profession of Chris-
tianity in him who uttered it with so much love.
" Do you know what you are asking ?" said Tiburtius.
" Young man," replied Almachius, " your enthusiasm
blinds you !" Tiburtius answered : " I have learned,
I know, and I believe that all I have spoken, is truth.' '

* Verum dicis, quia non mente mea loquor, quam in saeculo
habebam, sed ejus quern in visceribus meae mentis accepi, hoo
est Dominum Jesum Christum. Acta S. Coccilice.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 95

11 But I do not understand it," retorted the prefect,
and I cannot enter into this order of ideas." " That
is because," answered the young man, borrowing the
words of the Apostle, " the sensual man perceiveth
not the things that are of the Spirit of God.* But
the spiritual man judge th all things; and he himself
is judged of no man."f Almachius smiled with vexa-
tion, concealing his mortification at the insult which he
had received ; % but not wishing that the young man
should compromise himself further, he sent him away,
and commanded Valerian to be brought forward.

CHAPTER X.

INTERROGATORY OP VALERIAN. THE TWO BROTHERS ARE CONDEMNED
TO DEATH.

"Valerian," said the prefect, "your brother's
head is evidently crazed ; you, I hope, will be able
to give me a sensible reply." " There is one only
physician," answered Valerian, "who has deigned
to take charge of my brother's head and of mine. He
is Christ, the Son of the living God."§ "Come,"
said Almachius. "speak with wisdom." "Your ear
is false," replied Valerian, "you cannot understand
our language."

* 1 Cor. ii. 14. f 1 Cor. ii. 15.

t Tunc ridens Prsefectus jussit amoveri Tibnrtium et applicari
Valerianum. Acta S. Ccecilce.

§ Cui Praefectus dixit : Valeriana, quoniarn non est sani capitis
frater tuus, saltern credo quod tu mini poteris dare sapienter
responsum. Valerianus dixit: Unas est medieus, qui fratris .
mei caput et meum sua Sapientia fovet, qui est Christus Filiua
Dei vivi. Acta S. Ccecilce.

96 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

The prefect restrained himself, and refusing to
accept the spontaneous confession of Christianity
which the two brothers were eager to make before
his tribunal, he endeavored to defend the Pagan sen-
sualism to which the Caesars were indebted for the
passive submission of their people. " It is you who
are in error," he said, " and more than any one. You
leave necessary and useful things to pursue folly.
You disdain pleasures, reject happiness, despise all
that constitutes the charm of existence ; in a word,
you have no attraction but for that which is opposed
to the comforts and luxuries of life." Valerian calmly
replied, " I have seen, during the winter, men tra-
versing the country with songs and merriment, aban-
doning themselves to every kind of pleasure. At
the same time, I have seen peasants in the field, in-
dustriously ploughing the ground, planting the vine,
inserting rose bushes upon the eglantine ; others graft-
ing fruit trees, or thinning the underbush, which
might injure their plantations ; all, in fine, energeti-
cally devoting themselves to the culture of the earth.
The men of pleasure, after looking at the peasants,
commenced to deride their painful work." " Misera-
ble creatures [" they exclaimed, " abandon this super-
fluous labor ; come, rejoice with us, and share our
amusements. Why fatigue yourselves with painful
toil ? "Why spend your lives in such tiresome occu-
pations?" They accompanied these words with shouts
of laughter, clapping of hands, and cruel insults.

" Spring followed the cold and rainy season, and
behold ! the fields cultivated with so much care, were
covered with luxuriant foliage ; the bushes perfumed

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 97

the air with their exquisite roses, the grapes hung in
festoons from the vines, and the trees groaned under the
weight of their luscious fruits. The peasants, whose
labor had appeared so senseless, were filled with joy,
but the frivolous young men who had boasted of their
wisdom, were reduced to a frightful famine, and
regretting too late their effeminate sloth, said one to
the other, L Look at those people whom we ridiculed.
Their industry seemed to us a disgrace ; we shuddered
at their mode of life, and thought it contemptible.
Their very persons we considered vile, their society
despicable. The result has proved that they were
wise, and we, miserable, proud, and foolish. We
would not labor, we would not even assist them in
their work ; in the midst of our pleasures we scorned
and ridiculed them ; and now, behold them sur-
rounded with flowers, crowned with glory."* Thus
the young patrician, whose grave and gentle charac-
ter offered a striking contrast to the impetuous nature
of his brother, imitated the language of Solomon, and
condemned the vanities of the world, in the very
bosom of the proudest and most voluptuous of cities.
Almachius had listened to his discourse without in-
terrupting him. Resuming the conversation in his
turn, he said: " You have spoken eloquently, I ac-
knowledge ; but I do not see that you have answered
my question." " Permit me to finish," replied Vale-
rian, "you have treated us as fools, because we be-
stow our riches upon the poor, receive strangers with
hospitality, succor widows and orphans, and give the
bodies of the martyrs honorable burial. According

* Acta S. CivcilUv,
9

98 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

to your doctrine, our folly consists in refusing to in-
dulge in voluptuous pleasures, and in disdaining to
avail ourselves of the prerogatives of our birth. A
time will come when we shall reap the fruit of our
privations. We shall then rejoice, but those who
now revel in enjoyment, will weep. The present
time is given us to sow seed ; now, those who sow in
joy in this life, will reap sighs and tears in the next ;
whilst those, who in this life, sow fleeting tears, shall
reap in the future, an abundant harvest of endless
happiness."

"And so," replied the prefect, " we and our invin-
cible princes, will have tears and mourning for our
portion, whilst you will possess eternal felicity?"

"And who are you and your princes ?" cried Vale-
rian; "you are but mortals, born upon the day ap-
pointed for you, and destined to die when your hour
shall come. Moreover, you will have to render to
God, a rigorous account of the sovereign power which
he has placed in your hands."*

The interrogatory had already exceeded the pre-
fect's designs. In endeavoring to justify his tyranny
. against the faithful, he had involved himself in unex-
pected embarrassments. Two patricians had appeared
at his bar, and through his imprudence, had given
vent to expressions insulting to the imperial dignity ;
moreover the two brothers had solemnly professed
Christianity in the very sanctuary of the law. Al-
machius hoped to extricate himself from this difficult

* Quid enim vos estis ? aut quid principes vestri ? liouiunci-
ones estis, tempore vestro nati, tempore vestro expleto mori-
turi ; tantam Deo reddituri rationem, quantum summse vobis
tradidit potestatls. Acta S. Ccecilim.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 99

m

situation by making to them a proposition, which,
should they accept it, would justify him in releasing
them without delay. He therefore said : " Enough
of these long, useless discourses. Offer libations t<y
the gods, and you shall retire without undergoing any
punishment."

There was no question either of burning incense to
the idols, or of taking part in a sacrifice ; a simple
libation, scarcely perceptible to those present, would
release the two brothers, and shield the magistrate's
dignity. Valerian and Tiburtius replied in the same
breath : " Every day we offer sacrifice to God,
but not to idols."* " To what God?" enquired the
prefect, " do you pay homage ?" " Is there then any
other," answered the brothers, "that you should ask
such a question in regard to God ? Is there more
than one ?f" " But at least tell me the name of this
one God, of whom you speak." " The name of God,
neither you nor any mortal can discover, even had
you wings and could mount to the highest clouds.":}:
" Jupiter, then, is not the name of a god?" "You
are mistaken, Almachius," said Valerian, " Jupiter is
the name of a corrupter, a libertine. Your own
authors represent him as a homicide, a man guilty
of every vice, and you dare to call him a God ! I am
astonished at your audacity, for the name of God can
only belong to a being who has nothing in common

* Nos non diis sed Deo quotidie sacrificium exhibemus. Acta
S. C(Ecili(B,

t Et quis est Dcus alius, ut de Deo nos interroges ? Est alius
prseter unum ? Ibid.

X Nomcn Dei non invenies etiamsi pennis volare possis. Ibid.

100 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. %

with sin, and who possesses every virtue."* "And
so," replied Almacliius, " the entire universe is in
error ; you and your brother alone know the true God."

Valerian's heart was agitated with noble and holy
pride at these words of the prefect, and proclaiming
before this haughty magistrate, the immense progress
of Christianity which Tertullian had so lately an-
nounced to the Eoman Senate, in his apology, he ex-
claimed : " Do not deceive yourself, Almachius! The
Christians, followers of this holy doctrine^are already
innumerable in the empire. You Pagans will soon form
the minority ; you are like the planks which float upon
the sea after a shipwreck, and which have no other
destination than to be burned."f

Almachius, irritated at Valerian's generous bold-
ness, ordered him to be scourged with rods ; he still
hesitated to condemn him to death. The lictors
immediately stripped the young man, who expressed
his joy at suffering for the name of Christ, by these
courageous words : " The happy moment has at last
arrived for which I have so ardently longed ; this day
is more delightful to me than all the festivals of the
world." $ During the infliction of the cruel punish-

* Erras Prsefecte ; Jovis nomen non est liominis corruptoris,
atque stupratoris ? Homicidam ilium vestri auctores commemo-
rant, et eriminosum ilium literae vestra? demonstrant ; hunc tu
Deum dicis ? miror qua fronte locutus sis ; cum Deus dici non
possit, nisi unus qui est ab omni peccato alienus, et omnibus
virtutibus plenus. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Innumerabilis multitudo Christianitatis est, quae sancti-
tatem suscepit ; sed magis vos pauci estis, qui sicut astulae de
naufragio remansistis ad nihil aliud, nisi ut igni tradamini.
Ibid.

$ Ecce bora, quam sitienter optavi ; ecce dies omni mihi festi-
vitate jucundior. Ibid.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 101

merit, a herald made the following proclamation:*
" Beware of blaspheming the gods and goddesses."
Meanwhile, in clear and powerful tones, that were
distinctly heard amid the noise occasioned by the
strokes of the whip, Valerian addressed the multitude :
" Citizens of Eome," he cried, " let not the view of
these torments prevent you from confessing the truth ;
be firm in your faith ; believe in the Lord, who alone
is holy. Destroy the gods of wood and stone to which
Almachius burns his incense; crush them into dust,
and know that they who adore them will be eternally
tormented."f

Almachius was agitated by this scene. What
would be the issue of this trial which he had so im-
prudently undertaken ? Instead of two young men
whom he had hoped to intimidate, he found himself
confronted by two courageous Christians, who were
worthy of being compared to the most heroic of the

* Deos, Deasque blasphemare noli. Acta S. Cvecelice.

This proclamation, made by a public crier during the chas-
tisement of a culprit, is prescribed in the Code, and in the
Pandect, where it is based upon an edict of Gordian, and a sen-
tence of Ulpian, both of the 3d century. Many examples are to
be found among the ancient authors. Spartianus, in his Historian
Augustve, quotes the proclamation made during the scourging of
a plebian who had dared to embrace Severus, the proconsul of
Africa. Legatum populi Romani homo plebius temere amplccti noli,
Lampridus relates that under the reign of Alexander Severus, »
herald proclaimed the following words during the chastisement
of a court intriguer : Fumo punitur qui vendidit fumum.

f Gives Romani, videte ne vos a veritate ista mea tormenta
revocent, sed state viriliter credentes in Sancto Domino, et Deos
quos colit Almachius lapideos et ligneos in calcem convertite,
hoc scientes, scquia interna tribulation© erunt onines qui colunt
eos. Acta S» Caicilioz.

9*

102 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

martyrs whom he had recently condemned to death.
Should he release these men after a trivial punish-
ment, when they had insulted the divinities of the
empire, and defied the magistrate on his bench ? or
should he declare them guilty of death ? A perfidi-
ous counsel addressed to his cupidity, settled his doubts;
his assessor, Tarquinius, whispered to him : " Con-
demn them to death ; the occasion is a favorable one.
If you delay, they will continue to distribute their
riches to the poor, and when they shall finally suffer
capital punishment, there will be nothing left for you
to confiscate."

Almachius understood this language. He was per-
sonally interested in confiscated property, and there-
fore resolved that his prey should not escape. The
two brothers were again brought before him ; Vale-
rian, his body mangled by the whips, and Tiburtius,
piously jealous that his brother had been preferred to
him in the honor of suffering for Christ. The sen-
tence was immediately pronounced : the two brothers
were to be conducted to the Pagus Triopius on the
Appian Way, near the fourth mile-stone.* At the

* According to the law of the XII. tables, executions took place
outside the city, and not within its walls. Many examples of
the application of this law can be found in ancient authors and
in the acts of the martyrs. This custom was also observed
among the Jews. St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews xii.,
11-14, remarks that our Saviour was crucified outside the city
gates, and he explains the mystery of this circumstance of the
Passion. We find no difficulty in asserting that the Pagus Trio-
pius to which our martyrs were conducted was upon the Appian
Way ; their being buried here give us reason to draw this con-
clusion. The martyrs of Rome were generally buried in the
Crypts of the Way upon which they died, the faithful who

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 103

end of the route, there was a temple of Jupiter which
served as an entrance to the Pagus* Here Valerian
and Tiburtius were to be invited to burn incense be-
fore the idols, and in case of their refusal, were to be
beheaded.

CHAPTER XT.

CONVERSION OF MAXIMUS, NOTARY OF ALMACHIUS. CECILIA'S IN-
TERVIEW WITH HER HUSBAND AND BROTHER. MARTYRDOM OF
SAINTS VALERIAN AND TIBURTIUS.

As soon as the sentence was pronounced, Valerian
and Tiburtius were hurried forth to the place of exe-
cution, without being allowed a moment's time to bid
farewell to her, who was the cherished bride of the
one and the beloved sister of the other. Cecilia had not
been present at the trial of the two confessors, but
her ardent prayers had assisted them when before the
judges, where they had proved themselves worthy
of her and of their baptism. God, however, whose
holy will it was that she should survive them, was
preparing for her at this very moment a consoling
interview with her friends. Maximus, the notary of

buried them having thus less risk to run. We have already re-
marked this with regard to Pope St. Callistus. We designate the
Pagus Triopius as the theatre of the martyrdom of Valerian and
Tiburtius, because this Pagus, although described on one of its
inscriptions as situated at the third mile-stone, in reality did but
commence there, and extended to the fourth mile-stone.

* Tunc Assessor Praefecti Tarquinius clam dixit Praefecto :
invenisti occasionem, tolle eos, nam si mo ram feceris, et de die
in diem protraxeris, omnes facilitates suas pauperisms erogabunt,
et, punitis eis, tu nihil invenies. Acta *S. Ccccilicc.

104 LIFE OF SAIXT CECILIA.

Almachius, was chosen to accompany the martyrs to
their place of execution. It was his duty to render
an account to the prefect of the issue of this terrible
drama. His orders were to release Valerian and Ti-
burtius if they sacrificed to the gods ; or to record
their execution if they persisted in the profession of
Christianity. At the sight of these two patricians,
walking so cheerfully to execution, and conversing
together with tenderness and tranquil joy, Maximus
could not restrain his tears, and turning towards them,
he exclaimed : " O, noble and brilliant flowers of the
Eoman youth ! 0, brothers, united by such tender
love ! You persist in despising the gods, and at the
very moment when you lose every thing, you hasten
to death as to a banquet."* Tiburtius replied : " If we
were not certain that the life which succeeds this will
last forever, do you think we would be so joyful at this
hour ?" " And what is that other life ?" asked Maxi-
mus. " As the body is clothed with garments," replied
Tiburtius, " so is the soul clothed with the body ; and
as the body is stripped of its garments, so will the soul
be divested of the body. The body, which is formed of
the earth, will return to the earth ; it will be reduced
to dust, to rise again like the phoenix, f As to the soul, if

* O Juventutis fios purpureus, o gernianus fraternitatis
afcctus, quern vos impia definitione volentes aniittere, ad inter-
itum vestrum quasi ad epulas festinatis ? Acta S. Coecilice.

f The ancients admitted the existence of this fabulous bird,
and the first Christians considered it a symbol of the resurrec-
tion of the body. Tiburtius speaks here in the language of
St. Clement of Rome, (Epis. ad Corinthios, i. n°25.) Tertullian,
(De resurrectione carnis, cap. xii.) St. Ambrose, (Hexsemeron,
lib. v. cap. xxiii.) St. Cyril of Jerusalem, (Cateches xviii., cap.
xxiii.) and St. Epiphanius, (Ancorat. cap. lxxxv.)

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 105

it be pure, it will be transported to the delights of
Paradise, there to await in the enjoyment of inebria-
ting happiness, the resurrection of its body."*

This unexpected conversation made a deep im-
pression upon Maximus ; it was the first time he had
heard any thing contrary to those principles of mate-
rialism which were then so prevalent among the
Pagans. He was pleased with the new light revealed
to him. " If I were certain of this future life of which
you speak," said he, " I feel that like you, I would
despise the present life." Then Valerian filled with
the holy ardor which the Holy Ghost had communi-
cated to him, thus addressed Maximus. " Since you
only require proof of the truth we have announced to
you, receive the promise I now make you. At the
moment when it will please our Lord to grant us the
grace to shed our blood for the confession of His name,
He will deign to open your eyes and permit you to
see the glory into which we shall enter. The only
condition to this favor is, that you repent of your past
sins." " I accept," said Maximus, " and call down
upon myself the thunderbolts of heaven, if from that
moment I do not confess as the only true God, Him
who reserves for us a life beyond the grave. Now
therefore you have but to show me the vision which
you have promised.f

* Sicut vestitur vestimentis corpus, ita vestitur anima corpore,
et sicut spoliatur vestimentis corpus, ita spoliatur anima cor-
pore ; corpus quidem, quod terrenum semen per libidinem dedit,
terreno ventri reddetur, ut in pulverem redactum, sicut Phoenix,
futuri luminis aspectu resurgat ; anima vero ad Paradisi delioiaB,
si sancta sit,perferetur, ut in deliciis alHuens tenipus sua? resur-
rect] onis expectet. Acta S. Cwcilia'.

t Tunc Maximus devotabat so dicens : Fulmineis ignibus con-

106 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

By this reply, Maximus offered himself to be en-
rolled among the militia of Jesus Christ ; but the
two brothers were unwilling to die before having
seen him regenerated in the baptismal waters. They
therefore said to him: " Persuade our executioners to
conduct us to your house; they can guard us there,
without losing sight of us for a moment. We ask
but a day's delay. We will then send for him who
will purify you, and this very night you shall see
what we have promised you."

Maximus did not hesitate to comply. The present
life, with its fears and hopes, was already nothing in
his eyes. He led the martyrs, with their accom-
panying escort, to his house, where Valerian and
Tiburtius at once commenced to explain to him the
Christian doctrine. The notary's family and the
soldiers were present; grace touched their hearts;
they were convinced by the powerful words of the
two apostles, and declared themselves believers in
Jesus Christ. Cecilia had been informed by Vale-
rian of all that was passing. Her fervent prayers
had doubtless contributed in obtaining so great an
effusion of graces ; but it was necessary to consum-
mate the divine work in these men so rapidly con-
verted to the faith of Christ. Cecilia prepared every
thing with prudent zeal ; at nightfall, she entered
the house of Maximus, accompanied by several
priests.* Human language cannot describe the

Bumar, si ex hac hora non ilium solum Deum confitear, qui
alteram vitam fecit isti vitae succedere ; hoc tantum vos, quod
promisistis ostendite. Acta S. Ccecilice.

* Tunc sancta Caecilia venit ad eos nocte cum sacerdotibus.
Ibid.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 107

sweetness of the interview which God in His good-
ness had prepared for the two spouses. The pro-
phetic roses of Valerian's crown were soon to expand
in the sun of eternity ; while those which decked
Cecilia's brow, were yet to exhale their perfume
upon earth for a few days longer. It must have
been sweet for these favored servants of God to con-
verse together upon His holy designs in their regard,
and to recall the many graces which He had bestowed
upon them, from the mysterious interview in the
nuptial chamber, to the present moment, when the
palm of martyrdom w r as already within Valerian's
reach. Tiburtius, the angels 7 favorite, and Cecilia's
second conquest, shared, we may presume, their part-
ing interview, and bade farewell to Cecilia with all
the tenderness of his affectionate nature. But the
two brothers and the virgin did not forget the abun-
dant harvest which they had so happily met on the
road to martyrdom ; it was time to gather it into the
granaries of the heavenly Father. In presence of
Cecilia, of her husband, and of her brother, amidst
hymns of thanksgiving to God, Maximus, with his
family and the soldiers, solemnly professed the
Christian faith, and the priests poured upon their
heads the regenerating waters of baptism. The
house of Almachius 7 notary had become a temple,
and those who dwelt in it during these few hours
stolen from heaven, seemed animated by one heart
and one soul.

The rising sun ushered in the day of the martyr-
dom of Valerian and Tiburtius — the XVIII of the
calends of May. A solemn silence succeeded to the

108 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

transports which faith had awakened in every heart.
It was interrupted by Cecilia, who gave the signal
for departure, quoting the words of St. Paul : " arise,
soldiers of Christ! cast off the works of darkness,
and put on the armor of light. You have fought a
good fight, you have finished your course ; you have
kept the faith. For the rest there is laid up for you
a crown of justice, which the Lord, the just judge,
will render to you, and to all who love His coming.*"
Animated by these words, the martyr band resumed
its march. The two confessors were conducted by
the new Christian, Maximus, and escorted by the
soldiers whose brows were still moistened with bap-
tismal dew. The Acts do not mention whether
Cecilia followed her husband and brother to the
place of their triumph. She may have returned to
Rome, to await the hour when she would be re-
united to these cherished souls; or she may have
preferred accompanying the confessors and remain-
ing with them until their souls had taken flight to
heaven. What had Cecilia to dread upon earth ? In
preservation of her virginity, she had braved the
anger of a Pagan husband, and in a few days she
was to defy upon his tribunal, the formidable repre-
sentative of Roman power.

The martyrs, with their pious escort, wended their
steps towards the Appian Way, through which they

* Igitur cum aurora noctis finem daret, facto magno silentio,
sancta Caecilia dixit eis : Eia milites Christi, abjicite opera tene-
brarum, et mduimini arma lucis ; certamen bonum certastis,
cursum consummastis, fidem servastis ; ite ad coronam vitae,
quam dabit vobis Justus judex ; nou solum autem vobis, sed et
omnibus qui diligunt adventum ejus. Acta S. Ccecilice.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 109

were obliged to pass in order to reach the Pagus
Triopius. The remembrance of Peter, meeting in
this same place our Saviour carrying His cross, re-
doubled the brothers' courage. Both to the right
and to the left, stretched the vast and silent galleries
of the Christian Crypts, so that the martyrs, as they
passed to execution, saluted the hallowed spot where
they were so soon to rest. They probably arrested
their steps for a moment, to gaze thoughtfully at the
mysterious valley, which contained the tombs of the
Apostles, whom they were so soon to join in the
kingdom of everlasting joy.

Directly opposite, was St. Urban's retreat, where
they had so lately learned the secret of that glorious
immortality, to gain which they were about to sacri-
fice without regret, the joys of this present life.
Towards the summit of the last hill, they passed
near the tomb of Metella ;, the name of Cecilia, which
the inscription bore, reminded Valerian of that
spouse whom heaven had given him, and to whom
he owed much more than earthly happiness. He
was only preceding her by a few days, and soon
their souls would be forever united in their true
country. The fury of Almachius gave them every
reason to suppose that the virgin's hour was fast
approaching. The martyrs finally arrived at the
Pagus, which, although called hospitable upon one
of the inscriptions of Anna Eegilla, had nothing to
offer the Christians but the sword or apostasy. The
priests of Jupiter were waiting with the incense.
They commanded Tiburtius and Valerian to pay
homage to the idol. The brothers refused, and,

10

110 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

throwing themselves -upon their knees, offered their
necks to the executioners * The Christian soldiers
could not draw their swords upon the martyrs.
Others, however, offered to supply their place, and
the two noble youths received at once, death and
the crown of life. At this moment, heaven was
opened to the eyes of Maximus, who gazed for an
instant upon the happiness of the saints. The zeal-
ous faithful secured the bodies of these two heroes
of the Faith, and brought them to Cecilia. She
herself buried the dear and holy remains in the
cemetery of Pretextatus, near the second mile-stone.
She anointed them with the richest perfumes ; raised
over them the triumphal stone, engraven with the
palm and crown, symbols of their glorious victory,
and she accompanied this pious duty with tears of
mingled hope and sorrow. Not far from their tombs,
she was soon to rest her heaven-crowned brow, and
twine her palm with that of her husband.

CHAPTER XII.

MARTYRDOM OP ST. MAXIMUS — ALMACHIUS SENDS FOR CECILIA, AND
URGES HER TO SACRIFICE TO THE IDOLS — SHE REFUSES AND CON-
VERTS THE ENVOYS OF THE PREFECT THE VIRGIN APPEARS

BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL OF ALMACHIUS.

The happy witnesses of the martyrdom of Vale-
rian and Tiburtius returned to Rome, filled with ad-

* Venientibus ergo Sanctis offeruntur thura, et recusant ;
recusantes ponunt genua, feriuntur gladio, projiciunt corpus
mortule, et gautlium suscipiunt sempiternum. Acta S. Ccecilice.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. Ill

miration at the courage of those who had initiated
them into the secrets of eternal life, and ardently
desiring to follow them as soon as possible. Maxi-
mus, burning with divine love, unceasingly repeated
that he had caught a glimpse of heaven. He affirmed
on oath, that, at the moment when the martyrs were
struck by the sword, he had seen the angels of God,
resplendent as suns, and had beheld the souls of
Valerian and Tiburtius leave their bodies, like brides
adorned for a nuptial festival. The angels received
them, and bore them to heaven upon their wings.*
While saying these words, he shed tears of joy.
Many Pagans, after listening to him, were converted,
renouncing their idols, and believed in the one only
God, Creator of all things.

The news of his notary's conversion soon reached
Almachius. He was doubly irritated, because this
courageous example had been followed not only by
the household of Maximus, but also by many other
persons. The notary's fate was soon decided. He
was not beheaded as the two patricians had been ;
the Prefect caused him to be beaten to death with
whips loaded with lead, which was the punishment
of persons of inferior rank. The martyr courage-
ously rendered up his soul to God, and Cecilia
buried him with her own hands. She chose a sepul-
chre near those of her husband and brother, and
ordered that a phoenix should be sculptured on the

* Maximus juratus asserebat, dicens : Vidi Angelos Dei ful-
gentes sicut sol, in hora qua verberati sunt gladio, et egredi-
entes aninias eorum de corporibus, quasi virgines do thalamo:
quas in gremio suo suscipientes Angeli, reniigio alarum suarum
ferebant ad coelos. Acta S> Ccecilice.

112 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

tombstone,* in remembrance of the allusion made by
Tiburtius to this marvellous bird, when explaining
to Maximus the resurrection of the body.

Meanwhile, Almachius had ordered the confisca-
tion of all property belonging to Valerian and Ti-
burtius. In so doing, he had acted conformably to
the Eoman law. By his orders, search was made
for their goods. But the charitable and prudent

* Quam sancta Caecilia juxta Valerianum et Tibnrtium sepe-
liit in novo sarcophago, et jussit nt in sarcophago ejus sculpere-
tur phoenix ad indicium fidei ejus, qui resurrectionem se inven-
turum, phoenicis exemplo, ex toto corde suscepit. Acta S. Cceci-
lice.

This passage of the Acts is of great importance in confirming
the use of the Phoenix, as a symbol, upon Christian tombs.
Mamachi( Origines Christiance, torn. iii. p. 93.) had remarked
it, but neither he nor any other Christian archaeologist, had
been able to mention any other analogous fact. They limited
themselves to the notice of the Phoenix found upon the mosaics
or paintings, subsequent to the peace of the Church, where the
fabulous bird is represented upon a palm tree, with a circle of
rays around its head. Nevertheless, the Phoenix is engraved
upon many of the sepulchral monuments of the Catacombs,
where it has been frequently mistaken for a dove. There is,
however, a distinction to be remarked. Both birds hold a
branch in their beak, but the dove holds an olive branch, and
the Phoenix a palm. The bird with the palm, when well-de-
signed, is identical with the Phoenix upon the Egyptian medals ;
moreover, an irresistable monument corroborates this state-
ment ; upon the principal gate of St. Paul's Church, we find a
bird, precisely like those we have remarked in the Catacombs,
holding a palm branch in its beak. Above the head, the word
Fenix is written. The Chevalier de Rossi, who has kindly fur-
nished us with this information respecting the frequent use of
this symbol, will give, in his valuable collection of the Christ-
ian inscriptions of Rome, a marble of the Catacombs, never be-
fore given to the public, upon which this bird is engraven, not
only with the palm, but also with the nimbus of the 4th century.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 113

Cecilia had already distributed them to the poor,
thus sending all her treasures before her, on the eve
of her departure for her celestial country.

Cecilia was so well known in Eome by her noble
birth, her husband's death, and that of his brother,
had been accompanied by so many remarkable cir-
cumstances, and her profession of Catholicity was so
public, that the Prefect of Eome felt it was absolutely
necessary to require her to sacrifice to the gods of the
Empire. Nevertheless, he at first showed some hesi-
tation. He would have been glad to pause in his
cruel course, and to avoid shedding the blood of this
noble lady, admired by all who approached her for
her beauty, modesty, and singular virtue. Hoping
to avoid the publicity of a trial, which might end
tragically, and which would certainly compromise
still more the responsibility of a magistrate acting in
the Emperor's absence and without his orders, he sent
officers of justice to the virgin's dwelling with the pro-
posal that she should privately sacrifice to the gods,
trusting to obtain from her a compliance with his
wishes, sufficient to shield his honor as a judge, with-
out obliging him to summon her before his public
tribunal.

The officers entered Cecilia's dwelling, and laid
before her the prefect's proposition. The virgin easily
perceived the emotion which they experienced in
gazing upon her gentle and dignified countenance.
Eespect, deference, and evident embarrassment in
fulfilling their mission, were apparent in their words,
and even in their attitude.

Cecilia replied to their proposal with heavenly calm-
10*

114 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

ness: " Citizens and brothers, "said she, u hearme. You
are the magistrate's officers, and in the depths of your
hearts you despise his impious conduct. I am only
too happy to suffer all kinds of torments for the con-
fession of Jesus Christ, for I have not the slightest
attachment to this life ; but I pity you, who, still in
the flower of your youth, are condemned to obey the
orders of an unjust judge."* The officers of Alma-
chius could scarcely refrain from weeping at these
words, so distressing did it seem to see this young,
noble, and talented patrician lady actually longing
for death ; they besought her not to sacrifice so many
advantages.f

The virgin interrupted them: " To die for Christ
is not to sacrifice one's youth, but to renew it ; it is
giving vile dross for gold ; exchanging a mean and
miserable dwelling for a magnificent palace ; relin-
quishing a perishable thing, and receiving in return
an immortal gift. If any one should offer you to-day
a large amount of gold, upon the sole condition that
you should give in return the same weight of a baser
metal, would you not show the greatest eagerness in
making so advantageous an exchange ? Would you

* Audite me cives et fratres, vos ministri estis judicis vestri,
et videtur vobis, quod ab ejus impietate alieni esse mereaniini;
mihi quidem gloriosum est, et valde optabile omnia, pro Christi
confessione perferre tormenta, quia cum hac vita numquam di-
gnata sum habere amicitias ; sed de vestra satis doleo juventute,
quam sine sollicitudine gerentes, faeitis quidquid vobis fuerit ab
injusto judice imperatum. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Tunc illi dabant voces et fletus, quod tarn elegans puella,
et tam sapiens et nobilis, libenter optaret occidi, et rogabant earn
dicentes ne tale decus amitteret, ne tantam pulchritudinem ver-
saret in mortem. Ibid,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 115

not urge your parents, associates, and friends to share
your good fortune ? If any one should try to induce
you, even with tears, not to accept such an offer,
would you not consider him insane ? And yet, the
result of all this eagerness would simply be the ex-
changing of a vile metal for an equal weight of
another, more precious it is true, but still a mere
metal. Jesus Christ, our God, is not satisfied with
giving weight for weight ; He returns a hundred fold
for all offered him, and adds to it eternal life."*

The officers, completely conquered by this dis-
course, were unable to conceal their emotion. In
the enthusiasm of her zeal, Cecilia mounted upon a
marble stand, and in an inspired voice exclaimed:
" Do you believe what I have told you?" Their re-
ply was unanimous. " Yes, we believe that Christ,
the Son of God, who possesses such a servant, is the
true God."f " Go, then," Cecilia resumed, "and tell
the miserable Almachius that I ask a delay ; that I
beg he will defer my martyrdom for a short period.
Then return here and you will find him who will
render you participants of eternal life.";}: The officers,
already Christians in their hearts, carried Cecilia's
message to the prefect, who, by a dispensation of
Divine Providence, deferred summoning the virgin

* Acta S. Cceciliai.

f Et his clictis ascendit super lapidem, qui erat juxta pedes
ejus, et dixit omnibus : Creditis hsec quae dixi ? At ill i dixerunt:
Credimus Christum Filium Dei verum Deum esse, qui talem pos-
sidet famulam. Ibid.

X lie ergo et dicite infelici Almachio, quod ego inducias petara,
ut non urgeat passionem meam, et hie intra doiuuni ineam faciem
"venire, qui vos omnes faciat vita) ceternaj participes. Ibid.

116 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

*

before his tribunal. Cecilia immediately sent a mes-
sage to Pope Urban, informing him of her approach-
ing martyrdom, and of the new conversions which
she had effected. Besides the officers of Almachius,
a number of persons of every age, sex, and condition,
principally from the trans-Tiberian region, touched
by divine grace, ardently desired baptism.

St. Urban was desirous of coming himself to reap
so rich a harvest, and to bless the heroic virgin, who
would in a few days extend to him from heaven,
the palm of martyrdom. The presence of the holy
pontiff was a great happiness for Cecilia. The bap-
tism was celebrated with much splendor; more than
four hundred persons received the grace of regenera-
tion. Cecilia, desirous of preventing the confisca-
tion of her goods, employed the last hours of her
life in making over to one of the converts, named
Gordian, all claims to her house, that it might hence-
forth serve as an assembly for the Christians, and
increase the number of the Komar] Churches.*

Notwithstanding the danger, St. Urban remained
under Cecilia's roof for several days, during which
time, her house was a centre whence the rays of di-
vine grace were diffused throughout Eome, for the
advancement of the Church, and the destruction of
the empire of Satan. At length Cecilia was sum-
moned before Almachius. The virgin thus called
upon to confess her faith, appeared before the judge

* Inter quos unus clarissimus vir erat nomine Gordianus, hie
sub defensione sui nominis domum sanctse Coeciliae suo nomine
titulavit, nt in occulto ex ilia die, ex qua baptism a Christi ibi
celebratum est, Ecclesia Dominica fieret. Acta S, Ccecilice.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 117

with holy assurance. Although in presence of the
man whose hands had been imbrued in the blood of
her husband and of her brother, in the midst of a
prsetorium decorated with the impure and sacrilegi-
ous images of the heathen divinities, the bride of
Christ had never appeared more dignified and
modest. Wholly absorbed in Him to whom she
had given her heart, and who had at length called
her to celebrate the heavenly nuptials, Cecilia looked
with contempt upon the perishable things of earth.

Her mission was accomplished. The martyrs
whom she had formed, had preceded her to heaven;
others would soon follow her. One earnest protes-
tation against the brutal force which sought to deter
men in their search after the eternal good ; one last
courageous avowal of her faith, and she would re-
ceive the palm of martyrdom.

CHAPTER XIII.

INTERROGATORY OF ST. CECILIA.

Almachius shuddered in presence of so noble and
gentle a victim, and feigning not to recognize the
daughter of the Cecilii, thus boldly addressed her :
M Young woman, what is thy name?"*
11 Men call me Cecilia," replied the virgin, but my
most beautiful name is that of Christian."!

* Quod tibi nomon est, puella? Acta S. CaecU'uv,
f CcDcilia, sed apud homines ; quod autem illustrius est
Christiana sum. Ibid.

118 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

"What is thy rank?" "A citizen of Eome, of
an illustrious and noble race."* " My question
refers to thy religion ; we know the nobility of thy
family."

" Your interrogation was not very precise, since
it requires two answers,"! replied Cecilia.

" Whence comes this assurance in my presence?"
"From a pure conscience and sincere faith."^:
" Art thou ignorant of the extent of my power?"
" And do you know who is my protector and my
spouse ?"§

"Who is he?"
" The Lord Jesus Christ."))

" Thou wert the bride of Valerian ; this I know."
The virgin could not unfold the mysteries of
heaven to profane ears. She took no notice, there-
fore, of the prefect's remark, but reverting to the
insolent manner in which he had boasted of his
power : " Prefect," she said, " you spoke of power ;
you have not the least idea of what it is : but if you
question me upon the subject, I can demonstrate the
truth to you."^[

" Well, speak," replied Almachius, " I would like
to hear thy ideas.

" You only listen to what pleases you," said Ce-

* Civis Romana, illustris et nobilis. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Interrogatio tua stultum sunipsit exordium, quae duas res-
ponsiones una putat inquisitione concludi. Ibid,

I De conscientia bona et fide non ficta. Ibid.

§ Et tu ignoras cujus sponsa sim ego ? Ibid.

|| Domini Jesu Christi. Ibid.

IT Tu, Praefecte, te ipsum ignoras, cujus sis potestatis ; nam
si me interroges de tua potestate, verissimis tibi assertionibus
manifesto. Ibid.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 119

cilia; " however, attend. The power of man is like
a bladder inflated with wind. Let but a needle
pierce the bladder, it will immediately collapse."*

" Thou did'st commence with insult," replied the
prefect, " and wilt thou continue in the same strain?"

" Insults," replied the virgin, " consist in alleging
things which have no foundation. Prove that what
I have said is false, and I will acknowledge that
I have insulted you; otherwise your reproach is
injurious."!

Almachius changed the subject. " Knowest thou
not that our masters, the invincible emperors,;}: have
ordered that those who confess themselves Christians
are to be punished ; whereas, those who consent to
deny the name of Christ are to be acquitted?"

" Your emperors are in error as well as your ex-
cellency. The law which you quote simply proves
that you are cruel and we innocent. If the name of
Christian were a crime, it would be our part to deny
it, and yours to force us by torments to confess it."§

u But," said the prefect, "the emperors have en-

* Qualiter delectaris, taliter judicaris, tamen audi : potestas
hominis sic est quasi uter vento repletus, quern si una acus pu-
pugerit, omnis rigor cervicis ejus follescit, et quidquid rigiduin
in se habere cernitur incurvatur. Acta S. Cczcilice.

f Injuria non dicitur, nisi quod verbis fallentibus irrogatur ;
aut injuriam doce, si false locuta sum, aut te ipsum corripe
calumniam inferentem. Ibid.

t We will explain elsewhere the reason why Almachius invoked
the emperors rather than the Emperor Alexander Severus, who
reigned alone. The reader has probably already divined it.

§ Sic imperatores vestri errant, sicut et Nobilitas vestra ; sen-
tentia enim, quam ab eis prolatam esse testaris, vos scevientes,
et nos innocentes ostendit ; si enim malum esset hoc nomen, nos
negaremus, vos vero ad conntendum suppliciis urgeretis. Ibid.

120 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

acted this law through motives of clemency, that
they might provide you with a means of saving your
lives."

" Can there be any thing more unjust, than your
conduct towards the Christians!" replied the virgin.
" You use tortures to force criminals to acknowledge
the time, the place, and the accomplices of their guilt;
whereas, our crime is that we bear the name of Chris-
tian, and if we do but deny that name, we obtain
your favor. But we know the greatness of this name,
and we cannot deny it. Better die and be happy,
than live and be miserable. You wish us to pro-
nounce a lie ; but in speaking the truth, we inflict
a much greater and more cruel torture upon you
than that which you make us suffer.*

u Cease this audacitv " said Almachius, " and
choose either to sacrifice to the gods, or to deny the
name of Christian, and thou shalt go in peace."

" What a humiliating position for a magistrate!"
said Cecilia, with a smile of compassion. M He wishes
me to deny the title which proves my innocence, and
to pollute my lips with a lie. He consents to spare
me, but his clemency is a refinement of cruelty. If
you believe the accusation brought against me, why
endeavor to force me to deny it ? If you desire to
release me, why do you not inquire into the truth of
the charge ?"f

" Here are the accusers," replied Almachius, " they

* Acta S. Ccecilice.

t O judicem necessitate confusum, vult ut negem me inno-
centem, ut ipse faciat nocentem ; parcit et saevit, dissimulat et
advertit ; si vis damnare, cur hortaris negare ? Si vis absolvere,
quare non vis inquirere ? Ibid.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 121

declare that thou art a Christian. Simply deny it,
and the accusation is worthless; but if thou wilt
persist in not denying it, thou wilt see thy folly
when thy sentence is pronounced."

" The accusation is my triumph," said Cecilia,
" the punishment will be my victory. Do not tax me
with folly, rather reproach yourself for believing
you could induce me to deny Christ."*

"Unhappy woman !" exclaimed Almachius, "know-
est thou not that the power of life and death is placed
in my hands by the authority of the invincible princes ?
How darest thou address me with so much pride?"

" Pride is one thing, firmness another," replied the
virgin. "I spoke with firmness, not with pride, for
it is a vice we detest. If you are not afraid of hear-
ing the truth, I will prove to you that what you have
said i& false ?"f

" "Well," said the prefect, " what did I say that is
false?"

"You told an untruth when you said that the
princes had conferred upon you the power of life
and death."

" I told a lie in saying that ?" said Almachius with
astonishment.

" Yes," replied Cecilia," "and if you permit me, I
will prove to you that your lie is self-evident."

* Horum mihi accusatio votiva est, et tua poena victoria ; noli
me ut dementem arguere, sed te ipsum increpa, quia Christum
me aestimas denegare. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Aliud est esse superbum, et aliud esse constantem ; ego con-
stanter locuta sum et non superbe, quia superbiam et nos for-
titer execramur ; tu autem si verum audire non times, iterum
te docebo falsissime et nunc esse locutum. Ibid.

11

122 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

" Explain thyself," said the prefect quite discon-
certed.

11 Did you not say that your princes have conferred
upon you the power of life and death ? You well
know that you have only the power of death. You
can take away life from those who enjoy it, but you
cannot restore it to the dead. Say, then, that the
emperors have made of you a minister of death, and
nothing more; if you add anything else, you do not
speak the truth."*

The prefect concealing his "mortification at this
affront, said with feigned moderation : " Cease this
audacity, and sacrifice to the gods! "As he spoke
he pointed to the statues that filled the Praetorium.

11 You certainly have lost the use of your eyes,"
replied Cecilia, " I, and all who have good sight, can
only see in the gods of which you speak, pieces of
stone, brass, or lead."f

" As a philosopher, I bore thy insults when they
were directed only against me," said Almachius,
"but I will not suffer an insult against the gods."

"Since you first opened your mouth," replied the
virgin, with severe irony, " you have not uttered a
word that I have not proved to be either unjust or

* Dixisti principes tuos, et vivificandi, et mortifieandi copiam
tribuisse licentise, cum solem mortifieandi scias tibi traditam po-
testatem ; vitam enim viventibus tollere potes, mortuis dare
non potes : die ergo, quia Imperatores tui, mortis ministrum te
esse voluerunt ; nam si quid plus dixeris, videberis frustra
mentitus. Acta S. Ccecilice.

f Nescio ubi tu oculos amiseris, nam quos tu Deos dicis, ego,
et omnes qui oculos sanos habemus, saxa videmus esse, et
aeramentum, et plumbum. Ibid,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 123

unreasonable. That nothing maybe wanting, behold
you convicted of having lost your sight. You call
gods, these objects which we all see are but useless
stones. Touch them yourself, and you will feel
what they are. Why thus expose yourself to the
ridicule of the people ? Every one knows that God
is in heaven. These stone statues would be of more
service if they were cast into a furnace and converted
into lime. They decay in their idleness, and are in-
capable of either protecting themselves from the
flames, or of delivering you from them. Christ alone
can save from death, and deliver the guilty from eter-
nal fire."*

These were the last words which Cecilia pro-
nounced before the judge. In her animated replies,
she had avenged the dignity of man, so unworthily
violated by idolatry and Pagan tyranny ; she had
branded the gross materialism which had so long
enslaved the world, redeemed by the blood of a God.
Nothing remained but to suffer the glorious death
for which she so ardently longed.

But though Almachius could hardly avoid pro-
nouncing sentence against one who had openly

* Ex eo quod os aperuisti, non fuit sermo quern non probarem
injustum, stultum, et vanum ; sed ne quid deeset, puto etiam
exterioribus oculis te ccecum ostendis, ut quod omnes lapidem
videmus esse, saxum inutile, hoc tu Deum esse testaris. Do, si
jubes, consilium : mitte manum tuam, et tangendo disce saxum
hoc esse, si videndo non nosti ; nefas est enim ut totus populus
de te risum habeat, cum omnes sciant Deum in ccelis esse ; istas
autem figuras saxeas per ignem melius in calcem posse converti,
quae modo sui otio pereunt, et neque tibi pereunti, neque sibi,
si in ignem mittantur, poterunt subvenire. Solus Christus
eripit de morte, et do igno ipse valet liberare. Acta S. Ccecilice.

124 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

insulted the officers of justice, the religion of the
gods, and the majesty of the empire, he dreaded
commanding the execution of a noble patrician lady,
who added to innumerable charms, the gift of win-
ning the hearts of all who approached her. More-
over, he feared the Emperor's reproaches on his
return, for so odious a spectacle in the very heart
of Home could scarcely fail to excite murmurs
among the patricians. Alexander would learn that
the insults offered to the Empire and the gods, had
sprung from the imprudence of the prefect, who,
without any imperial mandate, had arrested the
Christians. His violence against the faithful of the
lower class had led not only distinguished noblemen
to his bar, but even the daughter of the Cecilii. Al-
machius would not have exposed himself to such
serious embarrassments, had he been aware of the
sacred bonds which unites all the disciples of Christ,
"in whom," says St. Paul, "there is neither Scythian
nor Eoman, nor free man, nor slave, but Christ is all
and in all."

CHAPTEE XIV.

MARTYRDOM OF ST. CECILIA.

Desirous that Cecilia should be executed without
publicity or tumult, Almachius commanded that she
should be taken home, and confined in the bath-room
of her palace, called by theEomans, the Caldarium*

* The Roman baths were divided into several halls. The

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 125

This was to be kept intensely heated, until the
suffocating atmosphere had deprived her of life.

This cowardly expedient, however, failed. Cecilia
joyfully entered the place of her martyrdom, and
remained there the rest of the day, and the ensuing
night, without the fiery atmosphere she breathed, pro-
ducing even the slightest moisture upon her skin. A
celestial dew, like that which refreshed the three child-
ren in the Babylonian furnace, delightfully tempered

first was the frigidarium, where cold baths were taken ; the
second, tepidarium, where the water was tepid ; and the third,
called caldarium, or ealidariwn, or sometimes sudatorium, was
reserved for vapor baths. Reservoirs of boiling water sent
whirlwinds of vapor through this hall ; and a furnace, called
laconicum, the flames of which were circulated by means of
pipes laid under the floor, and imbedded in the thick walls,
increased the temperature to a burning heat. The vaulted
ceiling was generally built of stucco, and was of hemispherical
form. It was closed by a brass shield, which was worked by
means of a chain, and served as a valve when the intensity of
the heat became suffocating. A description of the caldarium
may be found in Vitruvius, lib. x. cap x.

The punishment to which Almachius condemned St. Cecilia,
is not without a parallel in history. This method of inflicting
death, without shedding blood, was employed by Constantine,
in the execution of the Empress Fausta. Zosimus relates that
by the Emperor's orders, the princess was enclosed in a bath,
heated to suffocation, and that she was taken out dead. We
find another example in Rome of a martyrdom inflicted under
circumstances analagous to those that attended the death of St*
Cecilia. It is that of the brothers Sts. John and Paul, unde
Julian the Apostate. This prince, not wishing to publish edicts
against the Christians, adopted a less dangerous and more effica-
cious system of persecution. The two Christians, after pro-
fessing their faith before the Roman Prefect, Terentianus, were
reconducted to their own palace, where they were secretly-
beheaded by the executioners who afterwards buried them.

11*

126 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

the air of the heated apartment, so that the remark
made in later years of the intrepid Archdeacon Law-
rence, could well have been applied to the virgin,
viz. : that the fire of divine love which consumed
him interiorly, destroyed the strength of the material
fire which surrounded him exteriorly.* Vainly did
the ministers of Almachius increase the fire by
heaping wood upon the furnace; vainly did the
heated apertures send forth volumes of boiling
vapor into the apartment. The power of God pro-
tected His servant, who calmly waited until it should
please her Divine Spouse to admit her, by some
other kind of death, into His eternal kingdom.f

Almachius, on hearing of this prodigy, was much
disconcerted. He had hoped to avoid shedding the
blood of a Boman lady ; but he had gone too far to
recede, and there was no alternative but to send a
lictor to behead the saintly virgin. The officer pre-
sented himself before her, armed with a sword.
Cecilia hailed him with joy as the bearer of her nup-
tial crown. She offered her neck to the executioner
with an eagerness that might be expected from one
who had already triumphed over all that could
terrify or seduce human nature. The lictor vigor-
ously brandished his sword, but his arm was so

* Superari charitas Christi flamma non potuit, et segnior
fuit ignis qui foris ussit quam qui intus accendit. Sermo in
Natali S. Laurentii.

f Cumque fuisset in calore balnei inclusa, et subter incendia
nimia lignorum pabula ministrarent die integra et nocte tota,
quasi in frigido loco illibata perstitit sanitate, ita ut nee una
pars membrorum ejus saltern sudoris signo lassaretur. Acta S.
C(zcill<je,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 127

unsteady, that although he struck her three times,
he could not succeed in severing the head from the
body. Terrified, he withdrew from the room, leaving
the virgin stretched upon the ground, bathed in her
blood. The law forbade the executioner, who, after
three attempts, had not dispatched his victim, to ven-
ture upon a fourth trial.*

The doors of the bath-room had remained open
after the lictor's departure ; and the crowd of Christ-
ians who were awaiting the consummation of the
sacrifice, respectfully entered the room. A sublime
and lamentable spectacle met their eyes. Cecilia, in
the agonies of death, still smiled upon the poor whom
she loved, and the neophytes, who had been converted
by her. With eagerness, they gathered up with
linen cloths, the blood which was flowing from her vir-
ginal wounds ; f all endeavored by every means to testify
their veneration and love. From one moment to the
next, they expected to see her sever the last link
which held her captive, and yield up her beautiful
soul to God. The crown is suspended above Cecilia's
head ; she has only to stretch forth her hand to grasp
it, and yet she lingers. The faithful were ignorant
of the delay which she had asked and obtained from
heaven.

* Hoc cum audisset Almachius, misit qui earn in ipso balneo
decollaret ; quam cum spiculator tertio ictu percussisset, caput
ejus amputare non potuit : sic autem semineccm earn cruentus
carnifex dereliquit ; nam apud veteres lex erat eis imposita, ut
si in tribus percussionibus non decollaretur, amplius percutere
non audebat. Acta S. Cadi ice.

t Cujus sanguineni omnes bibulis lintoamiiiibus populi, qui
per earn crediderant, extergebant. Ibid.

128 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

During three entire days, they surrounded her
bloody couch, wavering between hope and fear, and
filled with respect for the will of God, so mysteriously
manifested in His servant. Cecilia unceasingly ex-
horted them to remain firm in the faith. From time
to time, she made the poor approach her ; she lavished
upon them the most touching marks of her affection,
and desired that the remainder of her fortune should
be divided among them.* The officers whose duty it
was to confiscate her property, had not presented
themselves. They knew that the executioner had
missed his victim ; and, moreover, this palace, stained
with blood, must have been as terrible to the Pagans
as it was august in the eyes of the faithful, who
venerated it as the glorious arena where Cecilia had
won her crown.

For one moment, the crowd subsided. The dying
virgin was about to receive the visit of Saint Urban,
who, as we have said, had been concealed in the pal-
ace for several days. Until the present moment, pru-
dence had prevented the venerable old man from
approaching the martyr, who was awaiting his visit,
before taking her flight to heaven. She wished to
receive the blessing of the Father of the faithful, and
to consign to his hands the only inheritance which
she left. The Pontiff entered the bath-room, and was
deeply moved at beholding his beloved daughter
extended like a lamb offered in sacrifice, upon the
altar, inundated with her blood.

* Per triduum autem quod supervixit, non cessavit, quos nti-
trierat et quos docuerat in fide Domini confortare, quibus et
divisit univeroa qua? habuit. Acta S. Cctcilice.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 129

Cecilia gazed at him with ineffable sweetness and
joy. "Father," she said, "I asked this delay of
three days, from our Lord, that I might place in the
hands of your Beatitude,* my last treasure, the poor
whom I feed and who will miss me. I also bequeath
to you this house in which I have lived, that you may
consecrate it as a church, and that it may become the
temple of the Lord forever.f

After these words, the virgin thought only of pre-
paring her soul to meet its Spouse. She thanked
Christ, that He had deigned to associate her to the
glory of the athletes, and had crowned her with a
wreath composed of the roses of martyrdom, twined
with the lilies of virginity. The heavens were
already opened to her eyes, and a moment of faintness
announced that her last hour was approaching. She
was lying upon her right side, in an attitude of vir-
ginal modesty. At the last moment, her arms fell
by her side, and, turning her face against the ground
so that none could witness the last secret communings
of her departing soul with the divine object of all
her love, she tranquilly expired.^

* Respecting the antiquity of this title given to the Roman
Pontiff, many examples may be found in letters addressed to
the Pope from the East and the West throughout the fourth
century. Such uniformity at this time, proves that the cus-
tom dated still farther back. Among other letters, may be
seen those from the Orientals to Saint Julius, those of Saint
Athanasius and the Bishops of Egypt to the same Pontiff, those
of Saint Jerome and of Aurelius of Carthage to Saint Damasus, etc.

f Sancto Urbano Papa? dixit : A dime triduanas mihi propose!
inducias, ut et istos tuse Beatitudini traderem qmoa nutrivi, et
banc domum meam in aeternuni Eoclesia nomini consocraros.
Acta S. Ccecilice.

t These details respecting Cecilia's dying position are not

130 LIFE OF SAIOT CECILIA.

So great a martyr could be buried by none but the
most august hands. Saint Urban, assisted by the
deacons, presided at her funeral ceremonies. They
laid her in a cypress coffin, in the same attitude in
which she had expired, clothed in the rich robe of
silk and gold, which she had worn at the time of her
martyrdom ; and placed at her feet the linen cloths
and veils with which the faithful had collected her
precious blood.

The following night, her holy body was carried to
the Appian Way, to the cemetery of Saint Callistus,
near the third mile-stone. Valerian, Tiburtius and
Maximus, were buried at a short distance from the
spot, but the entrance to their tombs was upon the
left of the Appian Way.

To honor the apostalate which Cecilia had exer-
cised, Saint Urban desired that she should be buried
in the enclosure prepared by Saint Callistus for the
Pontiffs,* and in which he had interred his prede-
cessor, Saint Zephyrinus. This well merited, but
unusual distinction, joined to the desire of burying
the virgin at the spot where the cemetery of Saint
Callistus turned towards that of Pretextatus, in order
to place her near her husband, accounts for the fact
of all traces of her sepulchre having been lost, until
it was discovered by means of a revelation. Thus
the goodness of God restored to the Eoman Church
the treasure which she believed had been stolen from
her sacred Crypts by the hands of strangers.

mentioned in the Acts : they are gathered from a more striking
source, as we shall mention later.

* Tunc sanctus Urbanus Papa corpus ejus auferens cum Dia-
conibus, nocte sepelivit earn inter collegas suos Episcopos, et
Martyres, ubi sanctiConfessores sunt collocati. Acta S. Cceciljce

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 131

CHAPTER XV.

MARTYRDOM OP ST. URBAN. PONTIFICATE OF ST. PONTIANUS.
DEATH OF ALEXANDER SEVERUS.

Scarcely a month elapsed before Urban was
summoned to the tribunal of Almachius. The Pon-
tiff had been discovered with two priests and three
deacons in a grotto where he had been concealed ;
for it had been impossible for him to remain long in
Cecilia's palace. The prefect's officers, disconcerted
at not finding in the palace the treasures they expected,
and ignorant of Cecilia's donations to the poor, accused
Urban of having received immense sums to secure them
from confiscation. Cupidity rendered the search
more active, and the Pontiff was finally discovered
and arrested.

11 Is this," said Almachius, " that Urban, that
seducer, who has already been twice condemned, and
whom the Christians have made their Pope?"*

" Yes," replied the holy Pontiff, " It is I who have
seduced men from the paths of iniquity, and have led
them into the way of truth."f

" Is that the way of truth," retorted Almachius,
" in which the gods are not honored, nor the princes
obeyed V>%

* Nonne iste est Urbanus seductor, qui jam semel et iterum
damnatus est, quern Christiani sibi Papam fecerunt ? Laderchi
Acta S. Urbani.

f Ego seduco homines, ut viam iniquitatis relinquant, et ad
viam veritatis deveniant. Ibid.

X via veritatis, qure nee Deos colit, nee Principes ob tem-
po rat. Ibid,

132 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

"No," said Urban, " I do not honor your gods
any more than I fear your princes. Do what you
have to do."*

The venerable old man was cast into prison with
his companions, and during the night, some Christ-
ians, who had bribed with gold the jailor, Anolinus,
came to visit him, and to give him proofs of their
filial veneration.

St. Urban, accompanied by his priests and deacons,
appeared a second time before the prefect. Al-
machius at first manifested a little moderation, the
result of the uneasiness which he experienced at hav-
ing so violently persecuted the Christians. l l Cease your
obstinacy/' he said, "and sacrifice, to the gods. Al-
ready five thousand men have perished in conse-
quence of your seductions.f You are responsible
for them."

" They have not perished as you imagine, wretched
man," replied Urban, " but have ascended gloriously
to the kingom of heaven."

"Yes," said the prefect, "it was this vain hope

* Nee Deos tuos colo, nee principes tuos timeo ; fac quod fac-
turus es. Acta S. UrbanL

f The Acts of St. Urban, from which we gather these details,
have not, doubtless, the same authority as those of St. Cecilia,
but there is a tone of candor and truth throughout them which
does not permit us to reject them with disdain, as many critics
have done. The most serious objection to them occurs in this
passage, as it is incredible that 5000 persons should have been
martyred for the faith in Rome, in so short a time, and by the
orders of a prefect. But this can be easily explained as being
an error of the copyist. The manuscripts frequently passed
through so many hands that mistakes might easily be made in
figures, and it certainly seems unjust to reject the whole account
merely for a fault which can be so easily explained.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 133

which so woefully seduced Cecilia, her husband, and
her brother-in-law ; it was this hope which made them
count as nothing the brilliant existence that awaited
them on earth. At their death, they left you immense
treasures — you must restore them."*

By these words, the judge betrayed his cupidity.
Urban, disdaining to answer the accusation, contented
himself with saying: " Foolish man! rather render
homage to your Creator; for those of whom you
speak, gave up their lives, after distributing their
fortunes to the poor."f

" Cease this audacity if you wish to live ; other-
wise you shall perish."

"None can perish," said Urban, " but those who
by their faith or works, displease the Creator."

The prefect then addressed the two priests : "And
are you of the same opinion ?"

"All the counsels of our Father are wise," they
replied ; " but wisdom will not enter into a perverted
soul.":]:

"I see," replied Almachius, you are worse than
your master, decrepit and foolish as he is. Are you
not ashamed, miserable wretches, to persevere in your
insolence, after so many condemnations ?"§

* Hac vana spe inducta Csecilia cum sponso suo et cognato,
omnem gloriam perdiderunt, et immensum tibi dimiserunt thes-
aurum, quern te nunc exhibere oportet. Ada S. Urbani.

f Stulte, agnosce creatorem pro quo illi sua omnia pauperi-
sms erogantes, mori exoptaverunt. Ibid.

\ Patris nostri monita per omnia sunt salubria, sed inmalevo-
lam animam non intrat sapiential Ibid.

§ Ut video deteriores elfecti estisquam delirus senexmagister
vester ; sed miseri non erubescitis, qui toties damnati prcescrip-
tionibus in impudentia perduratis. Ibid.

13

134 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

lie then commanded them to be scourged with
loaded whips. The order was executed in his pres-
ence, and the two confessors, during the blows, re-
peated : "Lord! we thank Thee."

Almachius, enraged at their constancy, cried out
in a voice trembling with passion :

"They must be protected by some enchantment, or
they could not still resist our orders."

" It is you," said Urban, " who have become like
your gods ; for you have ears and hear not ; eyes and
see not."*

" What ! do you dare to insult the gods !" cried the
prefect; "your head shall be the forfeit of your au-
dacity ; I swear it by the gods and goddesses."

" If you wish to judge for yourself how much re-
spect the gods merit, read their history. As to our
God, He has created all things, and He strengthens
us by these words : ' Fear not those who kill the
body, for they cannot kill the soul.' "

"I understand," said Almachius, "you are old,
and for this reason you look upon death as a rest ;
you are jealous of these young men ; you persuade
them to sacrifice their lives, because your own is
nearly at an end."

One of the priests, indignant at this outrage, inter-
rupted the prefect : " Your words are evident false-
hoods," he said. " Our Father, from his youth, has
always regarded Jesus Christ as his life, and death
as a gain. More than once he has confessed Christ,
and exposed his life for the flock confided to his care."f

* Immo tu miser Diis tuis similis es effectus, aures liabens,
et non audiens, oculos, et non videns. Acta S. Urbani.

t Manifesto mentiris ; patri enim nostro, et in juventute

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 135

Almachius ordered the old man and his companions
to be re-conducted to prison. Here they were again
visited by the Christians, and the jailor, Anolinus,
was so impressed by the veneration and homage
paid to the venerable old man, that he was converted
to the faith, baptized by St. Urban, and soon after
paid with his life the honor of being enrolled among
the soldiers of Christ.

A short time after, the martyrs were again sum-
moned before Almachius, who ordered that they
should be conducted to the Pagus Triopius, where he
hoped they would consent to offer incense to the idol
of Jupiter.* A critic of our day, has remarked with
some reason, that the prefect's motive in choosing a
Pagus of the Appian Way for the holy Pontiffs
trial, was to give greater publicity to his apostasy,
if he abjured Christianity so near the place where he
had exercised his ministry ; or more solemnity to his
execution, should he refuse to sacrifice to the gods,
in a region so frequented by the Christians.!

The Confessors rejected with horror the proposal
that they should offer incense to the idols, and were,
in consequence, so cruelly beaten, that Lucian, one
of the deacons, expired under the blows of the execu-
tioner. Finally, on the eighth of the calends of June,
three days later, Almachius sent the confessors to a
temple of Diana, % ordering the soldiers to behead

Christus vivere fuit, et mori lucrum ; multoties quippo pro eo
Confessor effectus, animam suam pro ejus ovibus posuit. Ibid,

* Ducite eos ad templum juxta Pagum, et vol saorinoent Deo
inagno Jovi, vel multiplicibus macerentur supplieiis. Acta S.
Urbani.

\ Riccy. Dell' antico pago Leinonio. Rome, 1802, page 104.

J The Acts of St. Urban do not specify the locality of this

136 . LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

them if they refused to offer sacrifice. On the way,
Urban thus exhorted his companions: "It is the
Lord who calls us ; He who has said : c Come to me,
all ye that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh
you.' Until now, we have known the Lord only as
in a glass, and as an enigma ; behold the moment
when we go to see Him face to face. 7 '*

When they entered the temple, the martyrs said to
the executioners: "Finish your work. It is useless
to propose to us an action which you know we scorn."
They insisted, however ; and upon the martyrs' re-
fusal, led them out of the temple and beheaded them.
Fabian, Callistus, and Ammonius, three Christian
tribunes, who had visited the Pontiff* in prison, caused
the bodies of the martyrs to be carried to the ceme-
tery of Pretextatus.f

A more honorable sepulture was reserved for St.
Urban, in return for that which in his paternal ten-
derness he had prepared for Cecilia. Marmenia, the
wife of the prefect's Vicar, had embraced Christi-
anity immediately after the martyrdom of St. Urban.
Having learned through the priest, Fortunatus, who
had baptized her, the place where the bodies of St.
Urban and his companions had been deposited, she

temple ; it may have been in the interior of the city. Had it
been on the Nomentana road, as we conjectured in our first
edition, in consequence of some remarks, in the martyrology
attributed to St. Jerome, it is probable the Acts would not have
omitted to mention the circumstance.

* Ecce nos Dominus vocat inquiens : Venite ad me omnes qui-
laboratis et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos. Hactenus eum vide
mus quasi per speculum, et in aenigmate ; prcesto autem est, ut
videamus eum facie ad faciem. Acta S. Urbani.

t Acta S. Urbani.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 137

caused these sacred remains to be removed to her
villa, which was situated upon the left side of the
Appian Way, near a villa built by Vespasian, above
the cemetery of Pretextatus, not far from the tombs
of Valerian, Tiburtius and Maximus. She ordered a
crypt to be excavated, in which she placed a sepul-
chre, closed by a slab of precious marble, the interior
of the tomb being also lined with marble. Here,
Marmenia placed the bodies of St. Urban and his
companions, after anointing them with perfumes.
This crypt was afterwards enlarged, and converted
into a vast cubiculum, solidly built, and of quad-
rangular dimensions.* In one of the manuscripts of
the Acts of St. Urban, this cubiculum is described
as being situated in the upper story of the Catacombs.f

St. Urban had occupied the Holy See eight years,
eleven months and twelve days. He was succeeded
by Pontianus, who governed in peace for several
years. The return of Alexander Severus restored
tranquillity to the Church of Rome ; at least the
violence of Alrnachius does not seem to have been

* Levaverunt hide cum magno honore glebas almas, et addux-
erunt eas in domum Marmenia, quae erat extra palatium Vespa-
siani Augusti, sita prope columnas, in qua sepulcrum B. Mar-
menia miro jussit mode- poni : quod etiam marmoreis tabulis ex
omni parte conglutinans contexit parietem, in quo recondiderunt
cum aromatibus corpus Beatissimi Urbani et Mamiliani Fresby-
teri, et desuper sacrum tumulum miro lapide operiri curave-
runt : super quod ingens antrum fabricari fecerunt, quadratum
et iirmissimae fabrics), etc. Acta S. Urbani,

f Corpus autem B. Urbani Papa? et Martyris, ibidem in supe-
riori camaculo condiderunt. Acta SS, Mali, ad dium xxv. page
13. This circumstance is also found in an ancient manuscript
of the Vatican Basilica from which Laderchi has extracted
abridged Acts of St. Urban.

13*

138 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

■»

prolonged beyond this epoch. The impressions of
the Emperor when he was made acquainted with
the prefect's conduct, are not known. The histo-
rians of Alexander were little interested in the
Christians, and, moreover, they generally passed
over in silence facts which merely referred to the
magistrates. It is to be supposed that this prince,
who detested cruelty, blamed the excesses of the
prefect, but it does not appear that he expressed in
any other way his displeasure at the judicial murder
of Cecilia and the two patricians. However this
may have been, the system followed under the reign
of Alexander with regard to the sovereign Pontiffs,
was soon carried out in the case of Pontianus. This
saintly Pope had to suffer persecution on account of
his ministry; he was not condemned to death, like
his predecessors, Sts. Urban and Callistus, but an
order emanating from the imperial court, exiled him
to the isle of Buccinia,* one of the wildest on the
southern coast of Sardinia.

Alexander did not long survive this act of injustice.
How frequently we see in history, and even in our
own day, the judgments of God visited upon princes
who seemed personally favorable to His church,
but who, forgetful of the future, and of justice,
neglected to break the chains which others had forged
for the Spouse of Christ. These princes thought
that in lightening her fetters, they had fulfilled their
duty. They did not foresee that, after their death,
those chains would be riveted more firmly than
ever upon that Church which they ought not only
* Anastas. in Pontiano.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 139

to have loved and venerated as Christians, but to
have protected and delivered as kings.

Alexander had scarcely entered upon the thirteenth
year of his reign, and the twenty sixth of his age,
when he was assassinated at Mayence by his own
soldiers, leaving the empire to Julius Verus Maxi-
minus, one of the chiefs of his army. This man is
suspected of having been the author of the sedition
in which the unfortunate prince and his Mother,
Julia Mammaea, lost their lives.

CHAPTER XVI.

ZEAL OF THE ROMANS PONTIFFS IN COLLECTING THE ACTS OF THE
MARTYRS. THE MEMORY OF ST. CECILIA PRESERVED IN THE CHURCH
OF ROME. HER BASILICA.

Maximinus, upon his accession to the imperial
throne, manifested a bitter hostility against the Chris-
tians. The persecution, which had been suspended
since the reign of Septimus Se verus, was renewed with
the greatest violence. The new Emperor directed
his decrees in a special manner against the heads of
the Church j* and singled out the Pontiff of Rome as
his first victim. An order was immediately dispatched
to the island of Buccina, commanding the execution
of the courageous pastor whose absence had been
so severely felt by the Roman Church. Pontianus
had occupied the Holy See, two months and seven
days. His body was afterwards transported to Rome
and buried in the cemetery of St. Callistus.f Anterus

* Eusob. t Amastas. in Pontiano,

140 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

succeeded Pontianus upon the apostolic chair; but
lie had scarcely governed the Church one month when
he was beheaded by order of Maximinus, and thus
obtained the crown of martyrdom. A fact, connected
with the short pontificate of Anterus, is of some im-
portance in relation to the history of Cecilia. In the
first ages, under the persecution of Domitian, the
great Pontiff, St. Clement, wishing to preserve for
future ages an account of the triumphs of the Martyrs,
had appointed seven notaries whose duty it was to
commit to writing all the circumstances, accompany-
ing the generous sacrifice of these athletes of the faith.
Each notary was appointed overseer of two of the
fourteen regions of Kome.* The glorious memoirs
they had the charge of collecting, must have considera-
bly increased both in number and importance, during
the persecutions of Trajan, Antoninus, Marcus Aure-
lius, and Severus. We have seen what sublime
pages were furnished to the collection, through the
tyranny of Almachius, in the reign of Alexander
Severus. The holy Pope A nterus made a compilation
of the acts collected by the Notaries of the Church,
in order to preserve them in the Archives of the
Apostolic See. A fresco painted on the ceiling of a
cubiculum in the cemetery of Sts. Nereus and Achilles,
joining that of St. Callistus, seems to have been de-
signed for the purpose of handing down to posterity
the remembrance of this wise measure of Anterus.
A venerable old man is represented seated upon an
estrade, between two ministers, who are standing on

* Hie fecit septem Regiones dividi Notariis fidelibus Ecclesioe,
qui gesta martyrum sollicite et curiose unusquisque per Regio-
nein suain diligenter perquirerent. Anastas in Clemente.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 141

either side. His hands are raised in the act of bless-
ing three other persons, one of whom is kneeling, the
other two in an attitude of profound veneration.
They have just placed at his feet a round box filled
with rolls of parchment. Boxes containing similar
rolls of parchment, are very frequently seen in the
w r all paintings of the Roman cemeteries. The learned
archaeologist, F. Bianchini, whose opinion is of great
weight, thinks that this fresco was designed as a
memento of the holy PopeV* zeal in collecting the
Acts of the Martyrs; however this may be, the
fresco painting is of an elegant and correct style, and
was most probably executed in the third century.

The Christians of this period, who were so in-
terested in preserving mementos of all that related
to faith, must have been anxious to perpetuate the
remembrance of the holy pontiffs zeal in gathering
the Acts of the Martyrs ; the more so, as he received
the palm of martyrdom in reward for the labor by
which he laid the foundation of the Archives of the
Church. Anterus was denounced before the prefect
as one who honored the memory of the enemies of
the empire and of the gods, and he expiated with
his blood, the crime of having generously opposed
the policy of the Caesars.f His body was buried in
the Cemetery of Callistus.

The pious Fabian, successor of Anterus, was not
less zealous for the glory of God. He commanded

* Anastasii Bibliothecarii de vitis Pontificum, in Antero notce
historical. Tom. i. p. 184.

f Hie gesta Martyrum diligenter a Notarns exquisivit, ot in
Ecclesia recondidit. Propter quod a Maximo Praefecto martyrio
coronatus est. Anastas, in Antero,

142 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

that the seven notaries should each be assisted by a
sub-deacon, who should aid him in compiling the
Acts of the Martyrs.* The same desire of rendering
homage to these noble victims, among whom he him-
self was ranked after a pontificate of fourteen years,
led him to undertake the great works in the ceme-
teries.f He caused several additional galleries to
be excavated, and many new frescos to be painted.
It was but natural he should wish that one of these
frescos should represent the zeal shown by his prede-
cessor in transmitting to posterity the remembrance
of the trials, endured by the innumerable heroes who
slept in these gloomy vaults.

The age in which Cecilia lived, was prolific in
reliable historians, who faithfully gathered such
precious reminiscences, and the Supreme Pontiff did
not feel that he was lowering his dignity by care-
fully superintending the compilation of the Acts, so
that even the slightest circumstance might not be
omitted. Moreover, it was a discipline established
in the church from the time of the first persecutions,
to write the circumstances attending the combats of
the martyrs, and, notwithstanding the immense
losses we have sustained by the ravages of time, and
by other accidents, the authentic Acts which are
still extant throughout all parts, both of the Eastern
and Western Church, suffice to prove that the inten-
tions of Popes Clement, Anterus, and Fabian, were
understood and carried out throughout Christendom.

* Fecit septem subdiaconos qui septem Notariis imminerent,
ut gesta Martyrum in integro colligerent. Anastas. in Fabiano,
f Multas fabricas per ccemeteria fieri prsecepit. Ibid,

* LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 143

We will particularly quote the following words
of the deacon, Pontius, in the life of his bishop, St.
Cyprian, written at the death of this great martyr,
twenty-eight years after the death of St. Cecilia :
" Such was," says this author, " the veneration of our
ancestors for the martyrs, whether baptized or cate-
chumens, that they have committed to writing nearly
all the details respecting the sufferings they endured,
so that these accounts have been transmitted to us,
who were not then even born."*

If such was the case in a simple province of the
Church, the measures organized by the sovereign
Pontiff, in the centre of Christianity, must have
resulted in the most authentic and imposing Acts
concerning the martyrs. Add to this, that many
Acts which have been transmitted to us, refer to
persons of secondary importance, and yet the most
precise account is given of every circumstance attend-
ing the martyrdom ; the interrogations, the replies,
the torments, the miracles, and the sepultures. The
noble birth of Cecilia, Valerian and Tiburtius ; the
impression which such a tragedy must naturally
have created among the Gentiles, as well as among
the Christians, rendered the compilation of their
Acts an easy matter. Even in the absence of the
notaries of the Church, the faithful would have re-
tained for along time, the greater part of the details.

* Cum majores nostri plebeiis et catecliumenis martyrium
consecutis tantum honoris pro martyrii ipsius venoratione dede-
rint, de passionibus eoruin multa, aut prope dixcrim pen6
cuncta conscri-pserunt, ut ad nostram quoque notitiam qui non-
duin nati fuimus pervenirent. Pontius diaconus, in vita Cacilii
Cypriani.

144 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

We cannot, therefore, doubt that the Acts of St.
Cecilia were written at a time when there was every
facility of authenticating the facts. Divine Provi-
dence, who wished to give Eome a Christian Ceci-
lia in place of that matron of ancient times, whose
fame was not destined to survive the Capitol, took
care that the memory of our Saint should be pre-
served and become more glorious from age to age.

After the persecution of Maximin, the Church was
called to suffer those of Decius, Valerian, Gallienus,
Aurelian, and finally the most terrible of all, that of
Diocletian. The number of martyrs increased to a
frightful extent, but none of these new and illustrious
names eclipsed that of Cecilia. In the fourth cen-
tury, when the Diptych of the Canon of the Mass was
closed to be opened but once more, Cecilia's name was
retained therein, and the greatest honor which the
Church can bestow, was thus secured to her forever.

From her throne in heaven, she hears her name
daily pronounced in the silent prayers which accom-
pany the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice ; and her
blood, once shed for Christ, is presented before the
throne of God with that of the Spotless Lamb, to whom
she is forever united, amidst the roses and lilies of
paradise.

Thus after the persecutions, the Eoman Church
awarded to Cecilia an honor granted to but few of
those who had been her glory during those times of
trial. Out of the thirty Popes, martyrs, six only were
commemorated on the immortal Diptych ; the daughter
of the Cecilii was preferred to so many heroes. The
Virgin Agnes, her rival in the love of Christ, pre-

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 145

cedes her upon this triumphal list ; the pious widow
Anastasia follows her ; all three daughters of the
Roman Church. In the sixth century, St. Gregory
added the names of the two Virgin Martyrs of Catania
and Syracuse, Agatha and Lucy ; but thrcnigh liturgi-
cal courtesy, he gave the precedence to the two
Eoman Virgins.*

The tenth of the Calends of December (22 Nov.)
was appointed for the feast of St. Cecilia in the earliest
ages, as we find in the Martyrology attributed to St.
Jerome.f The holy martyrs, Valerian, Tiburtius,
and Maximus, continued to be venerated on the
eighteenth of the Calends of May (14 April), and St.
Urban on the eighth of the Calends of June (25 May),
the respective anniversaries of their martyrdom . That
of Cecilia took place between these two epochs. But
the feasts of the Ascension and of Pentecost were
celebrated at this season, and sometimes fell on the
anniversary of the holy Virgin's death. It was there-
fore resolved to honor her memory on another day,
that nothing might interfere with the solemnity of her

* Many liturgists maintain that St. Gregory at the same time
inserted in the canon the names of all the female Saints fonnd
therein. The only author who speaks of the addition made by
St. Gregory to the Diptych contained in the prayer, Nobis quo-
qne peccatoribus, is St. Adhelmar of Sherbum, whose words are
very clear, and who speaks but of Saints Agatha and Lucy as
having been added to the others. Vid. S. Adhelmi Episcopi
Saxonum occidentalium de Virginitate, cap. xxiii. Bibblioth, vet.
Patrum, tome xiii., page 44. The author, speaking of St. Cecilia
and Agnes, gives no reason to suppose that their names had
been recently added, which he distinctly states of the two Sicilian
martyrs.

f Florentini, Martyrologium S. Hieronymi. X, KaL Decembris.

146 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

festival. It is impossible to determine why the Church
selected the 22d of November* Probably the re-
building of Cecilia's house, under a form more ap-
propriate for a church, or its dedication in the fourth
or fifth century, may have been the occasion of trans-
ferring the feast of its holy Patroness to a day so much
later than that of her martyrdom. The importance
and solemnity of St. Cecilia's feast at Eome in the
fifth century, are attested by the sacramentary of St.
Gelasius, which was drawn up at this period. The
feast is preceded by a preparatory Vigil.f St. Cecilia
shares with St. Lawrence this honor, which St. Se-
bastian and St. Agnes, although so famous in the
Archives of the mother Church, do not seem to
have obtained. It is true that the feast of St. Ce-
cilia no longer enjoys this distinction ; but this testi-
mony of the veneration of earlier times towards the
Saint is sufficient to show how vividly the memory
of her virtues was retained among the Christians even
at the end of the fifth century, when her acts were
compiled for the last time.

The Church which was erected beyond the Tiber
under the name of St. Cecilia, likewise bore witness
to the magnificent reminiscences we have retraced.

* It is remarkable that the Roman Martyrology of the 22d of
November, neither mentions the death (Natalis) nor the burial
(Depositio) of St. Cecilia. We simply read Romae. sanctae Caeci-
liae, Virginis et Martyris, quae sponsum suum Valerianum, etc.
The 23d thus mentions the feast of St. Clement, Natalis sancti
Clementis Papae. On the 14th of April, Saints Tiburtius, Valerian,
and Maximus, are announced by the Natalis, as well as St. Urban
on the 25th of May.

t Muratori. Liturgia Ilomana vetus, tome i. Sacramentarium
Gelasianum, page 672.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 147

It is well known that when the churches erected in
honor of the Eoman Martyrs, in the capital of Chris-
tendom, did not contain their relics, or were not built
at the entrance of the cemeteries where the bodies of
their patrons reposed, they served to mark the places
sanctified by the martyr's life and sufferings. This
custom was not observed merely in Eome, it was estab-
lished as a point of discipline in the African church
by the fourteenth canon of the fourth council of Carth-
age, in 398,* which canon is even inserted in the
digest of ecclesiastical laws.f Later, this discipline
was modified ; but it was still kept up in Eome for
many centuries. This accounts for the small number
of churches dedicated to St. Peter, although he was
patron of the city. Four churches only were dedicated
to him, and these are all monuments of his life ; the
Vatican, which preserves his body ; that of St. Peter
ad Vincula, where his chains are kept ; the Mamertine
Prison, or St. Peter in Carcere, which is built over
the dungeon where he was confined with St. Paul ;
and finally, St. Peter in Montorio, upon the ground
where it is presumed he was crucified. The body of
our glorious martyr reposed many centuries in the
cemetery of Callistus, out of the city, upon the Appian
Way. In order to explain the origin of the trans-
Tiberian Church, which bore the name of St. Cecilia,
we must naturally refer to the house which Cecilia
confided at her death to the Pontiff Urban. The
bathroom where she suffered martyrdom is still visi-

* Et onmino nulla memoria Martyrum probabiliter acceptctur,
nisi aut ibi corpus, aut aliquoe oertffl reliquiae shit, aut ubi origo
alicujus hnbitationis, vol possessions, vol passionis, fidelissima
origine traditur. Labbe. Concilia, tome ii, page 1218.

\ De consecratione. Distinct, i, can. xxvi. IHacuit ut altar ia.

148 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

ble, and the memory of St. Ceoilia so intimately asso-
ciated with this Church could never be lost in Kome."*

The first mention we find of the Church of St.
Cecilia in the official documents which have reached
us, dates back to the year 499. Among the signa-
tures of a council held in Eome in that year, under
Pope Symmachus, are those of Boniface and Marcian,
who sign themselves priests of St. Cecilia's Church.f

But even before this time, many epigraphical monu-
ments prove the existence of this church, and the
veneration paid in it to the Eoman Virgin. An
inscription, unfortunately mutilated, which was still
to be seen in the last century, in the pavement of
the Church, contained a consular date, which could
scarcely be later than the year 464. The following
is the inscription, for the restoration of which we are
indebted to the science and friendship of M. le Che-
valier de Eossi :

ApolhOmAE H. P. BONITATIS EXIMIAE

et mirae verecurWlA.'E ET VLTRA aetatis ANKOS

filiae (isr. N.) c^&iCVLARlS sanctae martyris CAE

ciliae q. vix. ann. XII. MENSE. I. DIEB. XIII.

de ssecvlo reCESSiT x vim kal sept.

RIO COSS.
parentes wniseri /^NERIS ACERVITATE PERCVLSI
tituhim CI IVSSERVNT.4

* Among the Churches of Rome, erected like that of St. Ce-
cilia, upon the ground formerly occupied by the dwellings of
their patrons, we will cite those of St. Praxedes, of St. Boniface,
now St. Alexis, upon the Aventine ; of Saints John and Paul ;
of St. Eusebius ; of St. Prisca ; of St. Bibiana, etc.

t Labbe. Concil. Tome iv, page 1316.

X This inscription has been inaccurately given by Mallei, Mu-
sceum Verononse, page 291, IN' 6.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 149

We learn by this epitaph that a private individual,
exercising the functions of cubicularis, or guardian
of St. Cecilia's Church, had buried his daughter in
this place, under the date of a consul whose name
terminates with these two syllables; EI VS. The
writing of this inscription being evidently of the
V. century, and the VT. presenting no consul whose
name terminates with the given syllables, we must
seek in the V. the person designated. Now,
here we find several consulates which might answer
our purpose. The most recent is that of Eusticus
Olybrius in the year 461. In preferring this one to
others of more ancient date, we confirm the opinion
that from the year 464, under the pontificate of St.
Hilarius, the Church of St. Cecilia was sufficiently
important to require the services of cubiculares.

In the last century, there still existed in the pave-
ment, a number of inscriptions, either whole or in frag-
ments, which would be very useful now in tracing
the historyof this venerable Sanctuary.

Later, we will mention under what circumstances
these valuable records of antiquity were destroyed.
But we must mention one slab found in the pave-
ment of the portico, the inscriptions on which, relating
to a young girl named Thecla, might, according to
the opinion of our learned friend, be referred to the
IV. century.

13*

150 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

CHAPTEE XVII.

COMPILATION OF THE ACTS OF SAINT CECILIA, IN THE V. CENTURY, IN
THEIR PRESENT FORM. MOTIVES OF THIS COMPILATION. CANON
OF POPE ST. GELASIUS UPON THE USE OF THE ACTS OF THE MARTYRS.

As we have already stated, we cannot assign an
earlier date than the V. century, to the definitive
compilation of the Acts of our Saint. The defective
Latin of this document, does not permit us to place
it at an earlier date ; and, besides, the use immediately
made of it, by all the Churches of the West, is a
positive proof that it was not written at a later period.

These Acts must be classed among those which
were compiled from ancient memorials, after the close
of the persecutions. The author wished to unite in
a simple narrative, the different circumstances of St.
Cecilia's life, which he had been enabled to gather,
either from the Acts collected by the Notaries of the
Church ; or from other records which must have been
abundant in a city where the holy Martyr was so
highly venerated; or, finally, from oral traditions
and metaphorical monuments. ■ His story begins -at
the preparation for the marriage of Cecilia and Ti-
burtius, and ends with the Virgin's death and burial.
It is very evident that the author endeavored to make
his work uniform throughout, and that he blended
in his recital all the documents which were at his
disposal. His language is naive, and his style such
as is remarked in the series of Acts of the Martyrs,
which begins at the IV. century ; numerous examples
of which are published in the collection of Dom Bain-

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 151

art. In these compositions, the Latin language is so
altered that it is easy to see it was on the eve of
ceasing to be the vulgar tongue. Our Acts, however,
are not written in the barbarous style, used in the
Papal Chronicle, known under the name of the Cata-
logue of Felix IV., and which stops at the year 534*

Besides we must not suppose that during the two
centuries preceding the reign of Constantine, the
Latin language was written and spoken in Eome
with the purity and accuracy found among the clas-
sics of this period, the tradition of which St. Ambrose,
St. Jerome, and St. Augustin, made every effort to
preserve. The greater part of the Christian inscrip-
tions in the Catacombs, even those on profane monu-
ments, previous to the IV. century, prove that the
language of the masters of the world was far from
being universally spoken and written correctly, even
in the capital of the empire.

The neglect of the rules of grammar and of rheto-
ric, which characterizes the decline of a nation, is
very visible in the Acts of the martyrs compiled at
this period ; in fact, the writers seem to have affected
unusual carelessness of style. The transpositions of
phrase disappear, the language becomes more simple ;
the biblical narrations are imitated with minute exact-
ness, and more or less success ; the expressions used
in the Italic version of the Holy Scriptures are intro-
duced with eagerness, and frequently impart anima-
tion to the recital. Such is the literary character of
the Acts of St. Cecilia. If the narrative be found

* Sec the text of this Chronicle in the work entitled : Originea
de l'Eglise Romaine, torn i, pages 212, 248.

152 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

very interesting, the credit is not due to the style in
which it is related ; although the tone of candor which
reigns throughout, is a powerful proof of the sincerity
of the author, and even in those passages which are
evidently written for effect, we can easily trace the
original Acts. These rhetorical attempts merely
prove that the genius of the compiler was not
equal to the conception of a drama, so sublime and
so touching, as the one to which he has consecra-
ted his feeble talent. We may assuredly affirm that
the admirable discourse of St. Cecilia to Tiburtius
was not composed by the narrator, who has given it
to us in his rude and inelegant diction which almost
conceals its original beauty.

We shall have many occasions in the course of
our story, to demonstrate the accuracy of our histo-
rian, and to defend his narrative from the imputa-
tions cast upon it by the Jansenists. Let it suffice
to observe here, that the author wrote under the
eyes of his fellow citizens ; that he was not relating
the life of an obscure person, about whom he could
have invented many circumstances without being
liable to contradiction ; finally, that his recital was
almost universally accepted throughout the Churches
of the West. The presumption consequently would
be in his favor, even had we not the most distinct
and evident proofs of his veracity. The Acts of St.
Cecilia, like those of many others, were composed to
be read from the Ambon, in the church dedicated to
the Saint, on the day of her feast. This public read-
ing being intended to increase the solemnity, it was
necessary to make a complete and uniform narration

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 153

of every thing contained in the documents of the
Eoman Church, relating to the martyr. Hence the
monotonous style, and the oratorical velleities of
the compiler, who precedes his narrative with a pre-
lude of generalities, in the style of the exordiums
found in many of the Acts collected by Dom Euinart.
This custom of solemnly reading the Acts of the
Martyrs, on their festivals, has been preserved until
the present day in our Legends of the Breviary. In
the fifth century it Avas in full force, and very dear
to the faithful. St. Augustin, Bishop of Hippo,
frequently alluded to it in his Sermons de Sanctis;*
and we have still a Canon of one of the Councils of
the African Church, expressly confirming this cus-
tom. It was likewise in vigor in the Gallican
Church at the same epoch, as we learn from a ser-
mon of St. Cesarius of Aries, in which he complains
of the abuse of the permission given to invalids, to
sit during the reading of the Holy Passions of the
Marty rs.^ Eome, so rich in memorials, and so zeal-
ous in demonstrations of piety towards the martyrs,
could not be outdone by the other Churches. Each
of its Basilicas had, as it were, its own martyr, and
honored him with special veneration ; the Eomans
must have desired to have the Acts of each glorious
patron, that they might be read on the solemnity of
his feast. But Diocletian having particularly ordered
the destruction of ecclesiastical books, many Acts
compiled by the notaries, were destroyed. Later
accounts of the deeds of certain martyrs were not

* See, among others, the second of St. Stephen, the first in
Natali S, S. Perpetuce et Felicitatis, etc.

f Labb. Concil. tome ii. page 1072.

154 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

written with sufficient discernment. Moreover, many
Acts, at different epochs, had been compiled by
heretics, with the intention of insinuating their errors
by means of these documents. Towards the close
of the fifth century, the Holy See found it necessary
to take measures for guarding the faith of the Church
from the danger to which it was exposed. As all
the Acts of the Martyrs, whether genuine or apocry-
phal, were supposed to be authorized by the Church,
they were all read with equal avidity by the unsus-
pecting faithful, and hence many inconveniencies
might arise. The examination of all the Acts extant
was a labor requiring time, hence no alternative was
left but that of a temporary prohibition of all. A coun-
cil held by Pope, St. Gelasius, about 495, drew up
the famous canon which contains the catalogue of the
books considered orthodox by the Eoman Church." 56,
It is couched in the following terms : " We likewise
receive the Acts of the holy Martyrs with the brilliant
description of their torments and the marvellous tri-
umph of their confessions. What Catholic could doubt
their truth ? Who does not know that the martyrs in
their combats suffered the most dreadful torments,
and supported fearful trials, not by their own strength,
but with the grace and assistance of God."f

* We attribute this council to St. Gelasius, according to the
most common belief, without prejudice to the opinion of those
who would date it back to St. Damasus, In the latter case,
the recommendation of the Acts would be still more striking, as
it would date back to the days immediately following the age of
persecutions, and consequently prove the existence of a certain
number of Acts of the Martyrs, preserved by the faithful, even
after the violent edicts of Diocletian.

t Item recipiuntur gesta sanctorum Martyrum qui multipli-

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 155

Thus the canon of St. Gelasius confirmed the ex-
istence of the Acts of the Martyrs, and appealed to
catholic opinion respecting the truth of their ac-
counts ; it approved and recommended the use of
them, and signalized them as being glorious proofs
of the wonderful power of God. But as these acts
were not of equal authority, and as it was impor-
tant that they should not be indiscriminately used
in the Eoman Liturgy, such use being the most
solemn confirmation which they could receive from
the Holy See, the Pontiff adds the following general
order: " According to ancient custom and the dic-
tates of prudence, it is not our practice to read the
Acts of the Martyrs in the Holy Eoman Church.
The reasons for this conduct are manifold. The
authors of some of these Acts are completely un-
known; others have been written by unbelievers,
or by illiterate men, who have introduced super-
fluous things without that perspicuity which the
subject requires. As examples, we may cite the
Acts of Quiricus, Julitte, George, whose Passions, it
is said, have been compiled by heretics. Therefore
the Holy Eoman Church has prohibited the use
of them, lest the contrary practice should offer some
slight ground for criticism."*

cibus tormentorum cruciatibus, et mirabilibus confess ion urn
triumphis irradiant. Quis ita esse catholieorum dubitet, et
inajora eos in agonibus fuisse perpessos nee suis virions, sed
gratia Dei et adjutorio nniversa tolerasse ? Decret. i. pars,
distinct, xv, can. iii. Sancta Romana.

* Sed ideo secundum antiquam consuetudinem singular! oau-
tela in sancta Romana Ecclesia non leguntur, quia et eoruin qui
conscripsere nomina penitus ignorantur, et ab infidelibus, aut
idiotis superflua, aut minus apta, quam rei ordo i'uerit, script*

156 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

This extreme reserve with which the Eoman
Church prohibited the public reading of these Acts,
applied even to those, which, as historical monu-
ments, were considered the most certain ; it is, there-
fore, no argument against the authenticity of any
particular Acts. There is no question of literary
criticism, but of ecclesiastical policy.

But we have said that the Acts of St. Cecilia were
compiled in the fifth century, for the purpose of
being publicly read in the Church of the martyr,
and that the custom was universal throughout Eome.
In order to reconcile this apparent contradiction, it
is only necessary to remember that in the language
of the ecclesiastical Acts of Eome during the pontifi-
cate of St. Gelasius, and long after, when referring to
liturgical customs, the Holy Eoman Church signified
the Patriarchal Church of Lateran, See of the su-
preme Pontiff, or the Church of St. Peter on the
Vatican. This fact is established by Dom Mabellon,
who interpreted in this sense the Canon of St. Gela-
sius,* and by the learned Moretti who developes
this Thesis in speaking of the Acts of St. Callistus.f
Since this celebrated decree recognizes the impor-
tance of the Acts of the Martyrs, and does not in-
validate their historical truth, except in the case of

esse putantur, sicut cujusdam Quirici et Julittae, sicut Georgii,
aliorumque hujusmodi passiones, quae ab hoereticis perhibentur
conscriptse, Propter quod, ut dictum est, ne vel levis subsan-
naudi oriretur occasio, iu sancta Romana Ecclesia non leguntur.
Canon. Sancta Romana.

* Disquisitio de Cursu Gallicano, page 386. In ordinem Roma-
num Commentarius. page cxxvu. Musceum italicum. tome n.

t De S. Callixto Papa et Martyre, ej usque Basilica S. Marice
trans-Tiberim, page 206.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 157

those which it expressly condemns, as for instance,
in the case of the Acts of Quiricus, Julitte, and
George, it evidently was not intended to prohibit
the reading of the Passions of Martyrs in the private
churches of Borne.

This conclusion is rendered still more clear by
the direct testimony of a venerable memorial of
the Eoman Liturgy, published by Blessed Joseph
Maria Tommasi. It is an Ordo Bomanus of the Tenth
Century, taken from the library of the Yallicella, and
also found in that of the Abbey of St. Gall. * Under
the rubric DeFes tis Sanctorum, qualiter apud Romanos
celebrantur, the following lines are found in this offi-
cial document. M Until the time of Adrian, the Pas-
sions and Acts of the Saints were only read in the
Churches dedicated to these saints. This Pope
changed the rule, and directed that they should also
be read in the Church of St. Peter.*"

This important passage does not tell us, it is true,
at what epoch the custom was introduced of reading
the Passions of the saints at the divine office in their
titulary Churches ; but the custom was quite an an-
cient one during the pontificate of Adrian, who was
Pope at the end of the VIII. century. If there be
any difficulty in reconciling this custom with the
primitive usages of the Eoman Church, which,
during the pontificate of St. Gelasius, might perhaps
have shrunk from introducing into the Liturgy,

* Passiones sanctorum, vel Gesta ipsorum, usque Adriani tem-
pora, tantummodo ibi legebantur, ubi Ecclesia ipsius Sancti vel
Titulus erat. Ipse vero a tempoere suo rennuere jussit, et in Ec-
clesia Sancti Petri legendas esse constituit. B. Jos. M.Thomasii
opp. tome iv, page 325.

14

158 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

lessons not taken from the Holy Scriptures, we may-
observe, that without being inserted into the divine
office, the Passions of the Saints might have been
read to the faithful on the festivals of these Saints,
in order to increase the solemnity of the day. We
have examples of such reading being made out of
the time of divine office. It will be sufficient to
mention one fact that occurred in the VI. century.
It is well known that the subdeacon Arator read his
poem upon the Acts of the Apostles in the Church
of St. Jeter in Chains, by order of Pope Yigilius.
With still greater propriety, might the Passions of
the Martyrs have been read. The use which the
Eoman Church made of the Acts of St. Cecilia, in
her Liturgy, from the V. century, proves that the
text was familiar to the Church, as we will presently
show, whether it was read to the people in the daily
office, or made the subject of a solemn reading, out
of the time of divine worship.

CHAPTER XVIII.

TESTIMONY OP THE LITURGIES OP THE WEST IN FAVOR OF THE ACTS
OP ST. CECILIA.

It is therefore plain that the Canon of St. Gelasius
offers no unfavorable allusion to the Acts of St. Ceci-
lia ; it now remains for us to prove that far from con-
sidering these Acts as of trifling or doubtful authority,
the Eoman and Western Churches, from the V. Cen-
tury, esteemed them so highly, that they borrowed from

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 159

them the substance of the prayers and canticles ad-
dressed to God on the solemnity of St. Cecilia's feast.
"We will commence with the Eoman Church. Her
most ancient Sacramentary, known under the name
of Leonian, because the greater part of its formulas
are attributed to Pope Saint Leo the Great, thus men-
tions Cecilia, in one of its five Prefaces, all dedicated
to our holy Martyr. " Cecilia, destined by the will
of her parents to become the spouse of a mortal,
scorned a union which was to last but a short time,
and jealous of the crown of chastity, sought an im-
mortal spouse ; preferring the honors of everlasting
life to the joys of maternity. Her glory is enhanced
by her having prevailed upon Valerian to whom she
was united in marriage, to join her in the practice of
perpetual chastity, and to share with her the crown
of martyrdom."* Later in the V. century, the Eoman
Church thus speaks : " The inconstancy of youth
could not arrest Cecilia in the path of virtue; the
charms of the senses could not make her look back ;
nor could the fragility of her sex intimidate her.
Although a young woman, exposed to all the tor-
ments of the executioners, the chaste Virgin Martyr
gained a glorious victory, and to crown her triumph,
bore with her to the kingdom of heaven, the man
who had been given her as a spouse."f In the numer-

* Dum humanis devota nuptiis, thalamos temporales contem-
neret, sponsum sibi, qui perpetuus esset, praesumpto pr»mio
castitatis adhibuit, et aeternitatem vitce maluit, quam ut mundo
procrearet originem. In cujus gloriam etiam illud accessit, ut
Valerianum, cui fuerat matrimonii jure copulanda, in perpetuum
sibi socians Martyr casta consortium, secum duceret ad coronam.
Muratori. Liturgia Romana vetus, tome i. Sacrament. Leonianum,
page 456.

f Despecto mundi conjugio, ad consortia superna contondens,

160 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

ous and elegant compositions stamped by the genius
of Leo, allusions to the Acts are evident ; we will not
stop to point them out. The Gelasian Sacramentary,
which also belongs to the V. century, contains a pre-
face of the same style and full of the same allusions,"*
and in its collect commemorates the crowns brought by
the angel to Valerian and Cecilia.f At the end of
the VI. century, St. Gregory, in his Sacramentary,
diminished the number of the prefaces of the saints
which formed the riches of the Missals of St. Leo and
St. Gelasius. Those of St. Cecilia were sacrificed with
the others, but in return the most ancient manuscripts
of St. Gregory's Eesponsorial prove, that if the Eoman
Church in the VI. and VII. centuries, abated nothing
of her severity in favor of St. Cecilia, respecting the
conciseness of the prayers to be thenceforth used at
the Holy sacrifice ; she superabundantly compensated
for this severity in the chants which accompany the
Canonical Hours.J All the anthems and responses of

nee setate nutabili prsepedita est, nee revocata carnis illecebra,
nee sexus fragilitate deterrita, sed inter puellares annos, inter
saeculi blandimenta, inter snpplicia persequentum, multiplicem
victoriam Virgo casta et Martyr explevit, et ad potiorem trium-
phum secnm ad regna ccelestia, cni fuerat nupta, perduxit. Mura.
tori. Liturgia Romana vetus, tome i. Sacrament. Leonianum, p. 456.

* Gerbert. Liber Sacramentoruin. Liturgia Alemannica, tome ii.
page 197.

f Deus, cnibeata Caecilia ita castitatis devotione complaenit, ut
conjugem suum Valerianum, affinemque ejus Tiburtium tibi fe.
cerit consecrari, cum et Angelo deferente micantium odoriferas
florum coronas, palmam martyrii percepemnt : tribue, qnaesu-
mus, ut ea intercedente pro nobis, beneficia tui muneris perci-
pere mereamur. Gerbert Ibid, page 196.

X See the manuscript of St. Gregory's Responsorial, published
by Dionysius of St. Martha, and by Blessed Joseph Marie
Tommasi.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 161

the office of the twenty- second of November are taken
literally from our Acts, and have remained the same
after the lapse of twelve centuries, as they were at the
time of St. Gregory.

The Book of the Gospels carried by Cecilia upon
her heart,* the ardent prayers she addressed to God
at her approaching marriage with Valerian, f her
fasts of two and three days,;]: the hair shirt she wore
under her garments,§ the musicians' concert, during
which she sang hymns to the Almighty, || the confi-
dence she reposed in Valerian, ^[ the words of the
latter to the poor Christians in the Appian AVay,
his interview with Urban,** the Pontiff's prayer
after hearing the miracles wrought by Cecilia, ff
Valerian's return to his bride, and the apparition of
the Angel, $$ Cecilia's conversation with Tiburtius,
which resulted in his conversion to the faith, Ceci-
lia's apostrophe to the martyr band at day-break in

* Virgo gloriosa semper Evangelium Christigerebat inpectore.

f Et non diebus neque noctibus vacabat a colloquiis divinis et
oratione.

t Biduanis ac triduanis jejuniis oralis, commendabat Domino
quod timebat.

§ Cilicio Coscilia membra domabat, Deum gemitibus exorabat.

|| Cantantibus organis, Csecilia Domino decantabat dicens. Fiat
cor meum irnmaculatum, ut non confundar

IT Est secretum, Valeriane. quod tibi volo dicere : Angelum
Dei habeo amatorem, qui nimio zelo custodit corpus meum.

** Csecilia me misit ad vos, ut ostendatis mihi sanctum Ur-
banum, quia ad ipsum habeo secreta quae perferam.

ft Domine Jesu Christe, pastor bone, seminator casti consilii,
suscipe seminum fructus, quos in Caecilia seminasti. CsEcilia
famula tua, quasi apis tibi argumentosa deservit.

Xt Valerianus in cubiculo Caeciliam cum Angelo orantem in-
venit.

162 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

the house of Maximus* the protestation of Al-
machius' officers, after the exhortation addressed to
them by the virgin, f the victory she herself gained;]:
over the Koman prefect's tyranny, § one of the replies
of her interrogatory;]] finally, the request she made St.
Urban when expiring ;T such is a summary of the
Gregorian office of St. Cecilia, and, consequently,
such are the facts considered authentic by the Church
of Rome since the end of the sixth century. These
different incidents represent in an abridged form,
the narrative of the Acts ; the same words even are
preserved, except where the necessity of adapting
them to the harmony of the ecclesiastical chant, re-
quired a slight alteration. We are, therefore, per-
fectly safe in concluding that there is no history
considered more venerable by the Church of Rome,
than that of St. Cecilia, as it is related in these pages,
and set forth in the Liturgy of St. Gregory. Let us
now examine the other Western Liturgies.

We shall begin with that of Milan, called Ambro-
sian, because the greater part of it was compiled by
St. Ambrose. The Mass of St. Cecilia, contained in

* Beata Caecilia dixit Tiburtio : Hodie te fateor meum esse
cognatum, quia amor Dei te fecit esse contemptorem idoloram.
- f Dum aurora fiuem daret, Caecilia dixit : Eia niilites Christi,
abjicite opera tenebrarum, et induimini arma lucis.

X Credimus Christum Filium Dei verum Deum esse, qui sibi
talem elegit famulam.

§ beata Caecilia qua? duos fratres convertisti, Almachium
judicem superasti, Urbanum episcopum in vultu angelico de-
monstrasti.

|| Nos scientes sanctum nomen ejus, omnino negare non pos-
sumus.

^ Triduanas a Domino poposci inducias, ut domum meam
Ecclesiam consecrarem.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 163

it, is drawn up with great care, and, judging by its !
style, can scarcely be dated farther back than the
fifth century. The following are the principal pas-
sages of the Preface: " Christ lavished upon Cecilia
the highest honors of heaven. To merit the palm
of martyrdom, she withdrew from the world and
its nuptial joys. To her is due the honor of the
glorious confession of her husband, Valerian, and
of his brother, Tiburtius. Thou, Lord, didst crown
them with fragrant flowers by the hand of a celestial
spirit. The virgin guided these young men to the
kingdom of heaven, thus teaching the world the
power of chastity. Through Cecilia's merits they
became martyrs, and followed, in the company of the
angels, the footsteps of the King of Glory ."*

The Offertory is composed of St. Urbairs prayer,
in which he thanked our Lord for having so signally
blessed St. Cecilia's eloquence.

In the chants of its canonical office, the Ambro-
sian Eesponsorial, like that of St. Gregory, borrows
from the Acts of St. Cecilia.f

If we now examine the Gallican Church, w r e shall
find that its ancient liturgy, which lasted until the
time of Pepin and Charlemagne, bears an analogous
testimony to the authenticity of our Acts. The most

* Per Christum Sancta Csecilia, coelesti dono repleta, ut mar-
tyrii palmam assunieret, ipsum niundum est cum tbalamis exse-
crata. Testis est Valeriani, et Tiburtii provocata confessio : quos
angelica maim odoriferis floribus coronasti. Viros Virgo duxit
ad gloriam. Mundus agnovit quantum valeat devotio castita-
tis ; qnso ita promcruit, ut Marty res efficerentur, et iter Regis
gloriao cum Angelis graderentur. Missale Ambrosianum. In Natali
S. Casciliai. Virg. et Mart.

f Breviarium Ambrosianum. xxii Novcmbris.

164 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

complete Gallican Missal now extant, although con-
taining but twenty-six Masses, {Proper) of the Saints,
has one in honor of St. Cecilia. This Mass, com-
piled in a pompous style, is a summary of the
Eoman Legends. Its Preface is in the style of the
Leonian and Gelasian Sacramentaries, and retraces,
in an abridged form, the character of the virgin, her
different trials, her martyrdom, her crown, and her
entrance into the celestial kingdom with Valerian.*
This Missal, according to the opinion of B. Joseph
Maria Tommasi, is the same which was compiled
about the year 460, by Musaeus, a priest of Mar-
seilles, the principal author of the Gallican Liturgy.
Finally the Gothic Church of Spain, whose Liturgy
was compiled by St. Leander, Archbishop of Seville,
a friend and contemporary of St. Gregory, also offers
testimony in favor of the Acts of St. Cecilia. The
prayers in its Missal constantly allude to the inci-
dents we have mentioned. The hair shirt with which
the Virgin mortified her body;f the crowns of roses
and lilies brought from Heaven by an angel ; % Va-
lerian's prayer to the Blessed Spirit to obtain his
brother's conversion,! are all mentioned ; and finally

* Mabillon. Liturgia Gallicana, page 226, 217.

f Illadenique procul dubio poterit apud Deum veniam nostris
impetrare offensis, quae suam tegens cilicio carnem, multorura
animas convertit ad fidem. Missale mixtum Sf?cundum Regulam
B. Isidori, dictum Mozarabes. Infesto S. Ccecilice Virginis.

t Splendificos aspectus angelicos destinasti ad terras, per quos
illis (Martyribus) concretas liliorum ac rosarum floribus desti-
nasti coronas. Ibid,

§ Qui Tiburtium fratis prece perduxit ad fidem, ipse per vos
accendat plurimos ad diligendam aeternse glori» mansionem.
Ibid.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 165

an eloquent comparison is made between the fire
which burned beneath Cecilia's feet in the caldarium
of her palace, and the celestial love which consumed
her heart.* The circumstances of our Acts are given
more fully in the Missal of the Gothic Church of
Spain than in its Breviary, the prayers of which
are extremely short ; however, the latter contains a
hymn of fourteen verses, in which the life of St.
Cecilia is sung with touching veneration.f St. Isi-
dore, the brother of St. Leander, composed the greater
number of the hymns of this Liturgy. It is possible
that this learned doctor of the Church is not the
author of the one just mentioned. However this
may be, it cannot be dated later than the seventh
century, at which period St. Isidore flourished, be-
cause St. Julian of Toledo, the last poet who composed
hymns for the Gothic Breviary, lived in 675.

* Gloriosam Virginem Caeciliam die integro et nocte tota ther-
mis inclusam, nee ullo modo loesam fuisse fatemur. Servari
quippe meruit in balnei calore, quae gestabat Christum in pectore.
Duae quippe ignium divisae faces ardebant ; una in Virginis corde,
altera sub Virginis pede ; una combustioni parata, altera refri-
gerio debita ; una minabatur supplicium, pollicebatur altera re-
gnum ; una morituris corporibus necem, altera vivituro spiritui
futuram praeparans libertatem. Missale mixtum secundum Regu-
lam B. Isidori, dictum Mozarabes. Infesto S. Ccecilice Virginis.
f We give a copy of this hymn, a true historical monument
of the life of St. Cecilia. The imperfection of the verses does not
invalidate the testimony thus rendered by the Church of Spain
in the seventh century.

Inclytae festum pudoris Germine haec Virgo clara,
Virginis Caecilice Sanctitate clarior ;

Gloriosa praecinamus Pectore Christum praestans,

Voce prompti pectoris ; Huncque solum prodioans,
Quo soluta lege mortis * Ore sponsum, mente scelus,
Tollitur in aethera. Vicit hostem sanguine.

166

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

By comparing the monuments most worthy of
veneration in the Western Liturgy, we find that

Pectoris sacri recessum
Munit Evangelic) ;
Squalido corpus beatum
Proterit cilicio :
Noctis horas et diei
Mentis implens cantico.

HaBc enim sortita sponsum
Grerminis prsefulgidi ;
Angelum Dei fatetnr
Se habere vindicem :
Hnnc verendo ut pudori
Det honorem commonet.

Sponsus hie furore cseco
Comminatur virgini ;
Sed beata Virgo factis
Dicta prorsus comprobans ;
Angelum, munusqueexecelo
Mox adesse prsestitit.

Adfuit promissus idem
Vir coruscis vestibus ;
Exhibens serti coronas,
Floribus prsefulgidis :
In rosis docens cruorem,
Castitatem liliis.

Munere hoc provocatus
Sponsus ad Christi fidem :
Illico fratris salutum
Imprsecatus obtinet,
Hincque ambo passionis
Consecrantur sanguine.

Hunc Inde virgo Christi
Consequens Csecilia,
Hanc triumphalis honoris
Promeretur gloriam :
Igneis imis retrusa,
Fit caloris nescia.

Plus calens sic igne Christi,
Vicit ignem saeculi,
Et vibrantis ensis ictum
Ter valenter sustulit ;
Postque terris membra ponit,
Spiritu ccelos petit.

Inde nobis sacra Virgo
Mitte coeli munera ;
Liliorum, vel rosarum
Munus inde proroga :
Unde hausisti superna
Veritatis gaudia.

Liliis corusca in nobis
Castitas prsefulgeat :
Punicis rosis voluntas
Passionis ferveat ;
Criminis mole subacta
Innovemur gratia.

Ecce adventum futuri
PraBstolamur judicis ;
Sustinemus, et beata
Ilia lucis gaudia ;
Non rei tunc puniamur,
Non crememur ignibus.

Martyrum, et sacrosanctis
Aggregati coetibus,
Evadamus, quod timemus
Continentis gloriam,
Regis almi ad coronam
Evocati dexteram.

Ut tuam Christe videntes
Servuli prcesentiam :
Grratulemur, gaudeamus,
Personemus gloriam;
Curiae coelestis arce
Confovendi in saecula. Amen.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 167

throughout the two centuries which followed the com-
pilation of St. Cecilia's Acts, the Eoman, the Ambro-
sian, the Gallican, and the Spanish Gothic churches,
all solemnly adopted the facts they contain. We
must also acknowledge that even among the most
authentic Acts of the Martyrs, scarcely any have
been so solemnly approved.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE APPIAN WAY FROM THE FOURTH CENTURY TO THE NI2TTH.

After having proved the authenticity of the ac-
counts transmitted to us respecting the virtues and
combats of St. Cecilia, we must now collect the
testimonies of love and veneration which, through-
out the course of ages, have been offered to her
memory by the faithful in every part of Christendom.
We have already mentioned Cecilia's dying wish that
her palace should be converted into a church. St.
Urban fulfilled this pious desire, and the Basilica
of St. Cecilia became one fo the most venerated
sanctuaries of Christian Rome. It is time to recom-
mence our pilgrimage through the Appian Way,
that we may seek some traces of our heroine, whose
body reposed there for several centuries. Our first
visit to this celebrated Way was in the time of Alex-
ander Severus ; we shall glance at the Christian
memorials with which it has been enriched since
that period. We shall pass over the profane monu-
ments doomed to be destroyed by the ravages of time,

168 ' LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

or the hands of barbarians, and devote all our atten-
tion to the Martyrs' tombs. The Capena gate no
longer exists, Aurelian having extended the limits
of Eome a mile further upon the Appian Way. The
subterraneous cemeteries between the old and the
new gate have been abandoned for those of Callistus
and Pretextatus, the galleries of which commenced
before the second mile. The most illustrious Martyrs
have been buried here. We will examine their tombs
with the assistance of the very incomplete guide-
books, the first of which dates from the seventh cen-
tury, the Acts of the Martyrs, and other documents.

After having traversed the memorable place where
our Saviour met the Prince of the Apostles, still
ascending the acclivity, we shall find to the right
the cemetery of Callistus, the descents into which are
marked by small churches with three or four arches.
These Churches ordinarily bear the name of some Mar-
tyr, and each one opens upon a staircase which gives
entrance to that part of the Catacombs where its
Patron is buried. These edifices, which are very
similar to many of the Pagan tombs upon the Appian
Way, were erected during intervals of peace, and
the Eoman Pontiffs have piously watched over their
preservation. They are adorned with votive inscrip-
tions in honor of the Martyrs; other inscriptions
were placed in the crypts near the tombs of the
Saints. Pope St. Damasus composed many of them,
expressing the combats of the Martyrs, and his own
humble devotion to them.

The first church we meet upon the cemetery of

Callistus, is that of the holy Virgin Sotera,* who

* See the guide-books Salisburgense, Einsidlense, Malmes-

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 169

suffered in the persecution of Diocletian. This
edifice forms the entrance to the Martyr's tomb,
which St. Ambrose certifies belonged to her family.*

As we proceed towards the right, the Church of
St. Cornelius meets our eyes; a marble staircase
which has been recently discovered, with the rem-
nants of the Damasian inscription, conducts to the
cubiculum which contains the remains of the glorious
Pontiff. The great Bishop of Carthage, St. Cyprian,
is also honored in this place, although his body never
reposed there.f

On the same side, farther on, is the Church called
ad Sanctam Caeciliam, also named ad Sanctum Six-
turn, because it gives entrance to the crypt, where
the Virgin Cecilia and Pope Sixtus II. are buried.
In this crypt, destined to receive the bodies of the
Pontiffs, St. Urban buried St. Cecilia. It also con-
tains the remains of St. Zephyrinus, who was buried
by St. CallistusJ upon the upper story ; Pontianus, the
successor of St. Urban, whose body was transported
from the island where he had been exiled ; Anterus,
celebrated for his zeal in preserving to posterity the
memory of the Martyrs ; Fabian, whose Pontificate
was decided by the flight of a dove ; Lucius^ who so
promptly culled the palm of martyrdom and whom
we shall see later associated in Cecilia's triumph ;

buriense, and the Papyrus of Monza. We leave the honor of
commenting upon these monuments to M. le Chevalier de Rossi/
who has our best wishes for the publication of his Codex topo-
graphicus urbis Romce.

* S. Ambros. de Virginibus, lib. iii. cap. vii. n° 38.

t Itiner. Salisburg. Einsidlen. Malmesbur.

\ Salisburgense.

170 LIFE OF SAIXT CECILIA.

Stephen, who defended the tradition of baptism
against the Africans, and was assassinated in his
episcopal chair ; Sixtus II, whose martyrdom preceded
by three days that of his Archdeacon, Lawrence, and
who shares with Cecilia the honor of giving his name
to this region of the Callistus Cemetery ; Dionysius,
who received from another Dionysius, Patriarch of
Alexandria, a confession of his faith ; Eutychian, of
whom we know little but his martyrdom ; Eusebius,
who notwithstanding his short Pontificate, left many
proofs of sanctity ; and finally, Melchiades, who had
the happiness of seeing peace dawn upon the Church.*

Among this illustrious band, Cecilia sleeps her
glorious sleep. Near her, repose Tharsicius, an
acolyte of the Eoman Church, who had the honor
of lying in the same tomb with Zephyrinus ;+ Calo-
cerus and Parthenius, officers of the court of Decius4
Finally, in a lower gallery, twenty-four other Martyrs
whose names are not mentioned upon the monuments
of the VII. century, from which we borrow this
description, form as it were the Virgin's guard of
honor.§ In later years, so great was the veneration
for Cecilia's tomb that the region which bore her
name, was enlarged, and the Martyrologies of Bede,
Adon, and Usuard, mention nine hundred Martyrs
buried ad Sanctam Caeciliam.||

As we have before remarked, this part of the
cemetery of Callistus also bore the name of Sixtus ;
but the Church, through which the crypts were

* Itiner. Salisburg. Malmeshuriense.

f Salisburgense. t Ibid. § Ibid.

II See also the Roman Martyrology of 4th of March, Page 191.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 171

entered, was called after Cecilia.* The martyrs we
have enumerated, were not all buried in the same
cubiculum. Popes Fabian, Sixtus II, and Diony-
sius, were the only ones interred near St. Cecilia.
The subterranean corridors branched out in every
direction, and, at certain distances, other sepulchral
chambers were excavated for the Pontiffs and princi-
pal Martyrs.

Cecilia's tomb was towards the south, rather far
from the Church above mentioned, and situated on
a corridor which joined the galleries under the Church
of St. Sebastian. It was a cell, shaped like a square
oven, lined with four marble panels. This sepulchre,
the form of which is unusual in the Catacombs, was
rather high, being built near the arched roof of the
corridor ; it was closed by a small marble tablet which
concealed the cypress coffin containing the remains of
St. Cecilia. The absence of the decorations so pro-
fusely lavished upon other sepulchres of the Cata-
combs, joined to the mysterious character of this one,
easily account for all traces of it being lost when the
faithful of Eome ceased to frequent the Catacombs.
Saint Damasus, as we have previously stated, wrote
inscriptions in verse for the principal sepulchres of
the Martyrs. The greater number of those referring
to the tombs we have enumerated, have been des-
troyed ; those only remain which relate to the holy
Popes Stephen and Eusebius, and to the acolyte
Tharsicius. Fragments of the Damasian inscription,
consecrated to Pope St. Cornelius, have been lately
found. It is more than probable that St. Damasus
* Malmesburiense.

172 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

dedicated a special inscription to St. Cecilia, as that
virgin occupied too distinguished a place in the
Appian Way, not to have obtained such an honor ;
we shall soon relate under what circumstances this
precious marble must have disappeared, and how
Divine Providence made use of the hands of barba-
rians to preserve for Christian Borne one of her greatest
treasures.

The Pontiff, who had been so zealous in preserv-
ing the Memoirs of the Martyrs, erecting in all
parts of the Catacombs, magnificent epitaphs, many
of which are still in existence, had a special devotion
to the band of martyrs buried upon the Appian Way,
near Sts. Sixtus and Cecilia. Although he reigned
during the time of peace, he might have arrogated
to himself a resting-place in the Crypts containing
so many heroes, but his humility prevented his aspi-
ring to such an honor. Not far from the church ad
Sanctam Cseciliam, but more to the right, and nearer
the Ardeatine Way, which is parallel to the Appian,
he caused another Basilica to be built, giving access
to the sacred cemetery whose repose he had not
ventured to disturb ; it was called the Church of
Damasus. It was there that he buried his mother
and sister; and there, also, that, after eighteen years
of a brilliant and laborious pontificate, his own re-
mains were interred.

The inscription which Damasus had prepared for
his own tomb, was placed in the church. In it, the
Pontiff extolled the martyrs grouped around St. Six-
tus, and concluded with these words : " I, Dama-
sus, must acknowledge that I had thought of choos-

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 173

ing among them, a place for my own body; but I
feared to insult the ashes of the Saints"*

Pursuing our pious pilgrimage, after praying at
Cecilia's tomb, let us continue to explore the sacred
monuments presented to us on the right side of the
Appian Way. We will pass by the Churches of St.
Damasus, of Pope St. Mark, and of the two brothers
Marcel and Marcellinus, because they belong to the
Ardeatine Way, as well as the vast cemetery of Sts.
Nereus and Achilles, and descending the hill, we
reach the place properly called the Catacombs. In
this place, is venerated the mysterious well, where,
for forty years, the bodies of the holy Apostles were
concealed ; we have already mentioned it. After
the age of persecution, a splendid church called after
the great Sebastian, was erected upon this spot, and
is one of the seven churches in which Christian
Eome glories, as Pagan Borne formerly boasted of
her seven hills. Several galleries of the Callistus
Cemetery extend round this church. The valiant
soldier of Christ, St. Sebastian, reposes here; not
far from him the military tribune Quirinus, who was
buried here by his pious daughter, the virgin, St.
Balbina;f and Eutychius who suffered a cruel mar-
tyrdom, as we learn from the long inscription which
is still preserved. Leaving the Church of St. Sebas-
tian, we will retrace our steps towards Eome, ex-
ploring as we go, the Christian monuments upon the
left of the Appian Way. Down in the valley, is the
* Hie fateor Damasus volui mea condere membra ;

Sed cineres timui sanctos vexare piorum.

S. Damasi opp., carme xxxiii (Mai. Seript. Vatt. nov.

, Coll. t. v. p. 37). f Itinerar, Sali.sburg. Malmesbur.

15*

174 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Pagan temple, memorable for having been the re-
treat of St. Urban. In the same direction, we can
see in the distance, the Church of St. Eugenia,* which
gives entrance to the cemetery of Apronianus upon
the Latin Way, which, like the Ardeatine, runs
parallel to the Appian. This illustrious virgin, who
suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Gali-
enus, was buried here by her mother, Claudia. We
next walk along the cemetery of Pretextatus, and
meet the small church built upon the spot where
Pope St. Sixtus was beheaded, with his deacons,
Felicissimus and Agapitus.f St. Cyprian says in one
of his letters, that their execution took place in this
very cemetery. The ministers of Decius hoped that
by choosing, for the holy Pontiff's place of martyr-
dom, one of the cemeteries excavated by the faith-
ful, they would more effectually terrify the Christians.
The martyr's body was transported, as we have said,
from the other side of the Way to the cemetery of
Callistus, where the body of Cecilia reposed. The
two deacons, who were martyred with the Pontiff 1 ,
were buried near the place where they shed their
blood. A church forms the entrance to their tombs.
Januarius, J Magnus, Vincent, and Stephen, who were
also companions of Sixtus, are buried in the same
place. On this account, the church is called, Ad
Sanctum Januarium. The large crypt which contains
St. Urban 's body, is near the church of which we
speak. § We have seen how Marmenia, in her pious

* Itinerar. Einsidlense. | Epist. lxxxii.

X The Salzburg guide-books confound this Januarius with a
son of St. Felicitas, who bore the same name.
§ Itinerar. Salisburg. Malmesbur.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 175

zeal, prepared this sepulchre for the holy Pope, and
this accounts for his not being buried with Cecilia
and Zephyrinus.

Two other churches open upon the cemetery of
Pretextatus, forming a group with that of Januarius,
on the left side of the Appian Way. The smaller
one is called after the holy martyr St. Zeno ;* the
other, which is larger, bears the name of Saints Ti-
burtius, Valerian, and Maximus.f The Basilica of
Cecilia and Sixtus, on the right of the Appian Way,
is directly opposite to the Church of Valerian upon
the left. The votive inscription to the three martyrs
is exposed near their tombs. It is written in charac-
ters of the fourth and fifth centuries, and runs thus:

SANCTIS MARTYKIBVS TIBVRTIO
BALERIANO^ et MAXIMO QVORVM

NATALES§ EST XVIII. KALEDAS|| MAIAS.

This marble which gives some idea of the inscrip-
tions placed in the crypts to designate the names of
the principal martyrs honored by the faithful, still
exists, and in the ninth century was transported to
the Church of St. Cecilia.^" After having venerated

* Itinerar. Salisburg. Malmesbur.

t Ibid.

% Baleriano for Valeriano. B is substituted for V upon many
of the Christian and Pagan inscriptions of the first ages.

§ Natales for Natalis. This replacing E for I, is also very fre-
quent in the ancient monuments. With respect to the word
Natalis, birthday, being used for the day when the martyrs, dis-
engaged from their bodies, were born to eternity, it is the usual
liturgical style since the first ages of the Church.

|| Kaledas for Kalendas. These omissions of letters often dis-
figure the most beautiful inscriptions.

IT In the first edition we accepted the opinion of all authors
who had spoken of this inscription. With them we thought it

176 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

the sepulchres of our heroes, we will continue our
course upon the Appian. Passing again the little
Church, commemorative of the meeting of our Saviour
and St. Peter, we arrive at Aurelian's wall, and
going through the gate which afterwards received
the name of St. Sebastian, we re-enter the Holy
City.

CHAPTEE XX.

EVENTS RELATING TO ST. CECILIA AND HER CHURCH THROUGHOUT
THE SEVENTH CENTURY.

The Librarians of the Apostolic See, compiled at
an early date in Eome, a chronicle of the Eoman

belonged to the third century. Since then we have examined
the marble more attentively, and it seems impossible to date it
so far back. The inscription is still quite beautiful, but the
inferiority of the letters is such that it must have been engraven
after the reign of Constantine, probably during the latter part
of the fourth century, and perhaps in the beginning of the fifth.
Our learned friend, M. le Chevalier de Rossi, is of the same
opinion. Before proceeding further, we must speak of a monu-
ment in the cubiculum of the Catacombs of St. Sebastian. It
bears this inscription :

SANCTO MARTYRI MAXIMO.

Many have supposed it to be the sepulchral inscription of St.
Maximus, but it is not. This marble is simply a detached frag-
ment of the upper part of a Christian sarcophagus. We have
examples of these large marble sarcophagi, ornamented with
symbolical bas reliefs, with the portrait of the deceased in
the centre, and an inscription above, in honor of the martyr
under whose protection he wished to repose. The thickness
and dimensions of the stone of which we speak, and the traces
it still bears of having adhered to a solid mass of the same ma-
terial, take away all doubt of its origin.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 177

Pontiffs, more extensive and full of incidents than
that written in the fourth century, and ending with
the pontificate of Liberius. This second chronicle
has been preserved, and extends to Felix IV., who
occupied the Holy See from 526 to 530.

It served as a basis for the famous biography of
the Popes, so long attributed to Anastasius, the li-
brarian, who merely continued it.* If we examine
this precious document, which dates back to the first
half of the sixth century, we shall find therein the
following passage relating to St. Urban. " He bap-
tized a number of persons, among others Valerian,
husband of Cecilia; and many of those whom he
instructed, received the crown of martyrdom."f Thus
the official tradition of the Koman Church, as well as
the Liturgy, placed, in the pontificate of St. Urban,
the events related in the Acts of St. Cecilia, and con-
firmed these recitals as far as was compatible with
the extreme brevity of a chronicle so concise as that
of Felix IV. The Church of the holy martyr, al-
though deprived of the relics of its glorious patroness,
continued to be venerated by the faithful.

It was greatly honored in 530, when its Titulary
Cardinal, Boniface Sigisvult, or Sigisband, was ele-
vated to the Apostolic See, as successor of Felix IV.,
under the name of Boniface 114 In later years, the
Basilica of St. Cecilia frequently enjoyed this honor.

The ftoman Pontiffs were in the habit of celebra-
ting the Holy Sacrifice in this church, on the mar-

* Origines de l'Eglise Romaine, vol. i, page 191-249.

t Hie sua traditione multos convertit ad baptisma, etiam Va-
lerianum sponsum S. Caecilise, et multi martyrio coronati sunt
per ejus doetrinam. Chronique de Felix IV., in Urbano.

X Ciaooonius. Vita) Ronianorum Pontificuni, Tome i. page 358.

L78 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

tyr's festival. In the year 540, this solemnity was
interrupted by an attack upon the person of the
Vicar of Jesus Christ.

The Emperor Justinian, in one of the outbreaks
of his theological mania, published his famous edict
against the " three chapters." He formed the design
of forcing Pope Yigilius to confirm, by apostoiic
authority, the edict which was causing so much
trouble in the Eastern Churches. His design was to
seize the Pontiff, and carry him off to Constantino-
ple. Anthemius, an officer of Theodora, wife of
Justinian, was charged with the execution of this
project. He was ordered by the Emperor, to seize
the Pontiff wherever he could meet him, excepting
at St. Peter's, which he consented to respect as the
inviolable asylum of the head of Christianity.

On the 22d of November, Feast of St. Cecilia,
Vigilius, according to custom, went to celebrate the^
Holy Sacrifice in the church of the martyr. The
concourse of people was great, as this day was also
the anniversary of Vigilius 7 episcopal consecration, or
of his exaltation to the chair of St. Peter. The
Pope, following the example of his predecessors, was
engaged in distributing largesses to the people. The
emissary from Byzantium succeeded in eluding the
vigilance of the faithful; and, by a bold stroke, the
Pontiff was seized and carried to the banks of the
Tiber, which flows near the church. He was placed
on board a vessel, and in spite of the cries and moans
of the people, taken away from Eome. His absence
lasted during seven of the most stormy years of his
troubled pontificate.*

* Anastas. In Vigilio. Pagi. Breviarum Pontificum Romaiio-
rum, Tome i. page 295.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 179

Pelagius succeeded liim in the Apostolic chair,
but was soon followed by John III., who governed
the Church, until 572. The Liber Pontificalis re-
marks of this Pope, that : " He venerated the ceme-
teries of the holy martyrs, and restored many defaced
monuments to their original state."* This passage
of the Papal chronicle leads us back to the Cata-
combs, which had been cruelly ravaged thirty years
before the pontificate of John III. The sleep of the
martyrs had been disturbed by the barbarians; the
noise of military arms had been heard even beneath
the sacred vaults where the conquerors of Pagan
Home reposed in peace. In 586, under the pontifi-
cate of St. Silverius, Rome had been besieged during
an entire year, by the Goths under Vitiges. Not
satisfied with destroying-}- the magnificent aqueducts,
which, flowing over the Appian, Latin, and Tibur-
tine Ways, had, for centuries, supplied Rome with
water, these barbarians had also descended into the
cemeteries, and, with sacrilegious hands, had demol-
ished the decorations with which the Pontiffs and
faithful had embellished the sacred crypts. They
had vented their blind and impious rage even upon
the inscriptions placed near the martyrs' tombs.

The pontificate of Vigilius was too stormy to per-
mit him to repair such devastations. We have,
nevertheless, a proof of the interest he took in this
pious work, in the inscription which is still extant,
relating to three holy martyrs whose Damasian epi-
taph had been destroyed by the Goths. These mar-

* Hie amavit et restauravit Ccemeteria sanctorum niartyruni.
Anastas. in Joanne iii.

f Proeop. do bello Gothico. Lib. ii. cap. iii.

180 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

tyrs were Vitalis, Martial, and Alexander, and the
following is the inscription found on the monument
substituted by Vigilius, for that broken by the bar-
barians: "When the Goths encamped beneath the
walls of Eome, in their senseless triumph, ignorant
of the overthrow which awaited them, they began by
declaring war against the Saints. In their sacrilegi-
ous insolence, they overthrew the tombs consecrated
to these martyrs, from the earliest ages. Damasus,
divinely inspired, had proclaimed them worthy of
veneration, and had composed verses in their honor.
But although the sacred marble which bore this
inscription has been broken, it is not just that their
memory should perish forever. Therefore, Pope
Vigilius, whose heart was deeply afflicted at such an
outrage, repaired the sepulchres, after the enemy had
been driven from Kome."*

We have every reason to suppose that the Ceme-
teries of the Appian, suffered very much at this time
from the insults of the barbarians, who had so brutally
destroyed the aqueduct of this Way. After the de-
feat of Vitiges, the Goths again besieged Eome under
the command of Totila. They must have naturally

* Dum peritura GetsB posuissent castra sub urbe,

Moverunt Sanctis bella nefanda prius.
Istaque sacrilege- verterunt corde sepulchra

Martyribus quondam rite sacrata piis.
Quos monstrante Deo, Damasus sibi Papa probatos

Affixo monuit carmine jure coli.
Sed periit titulus confracto marmore sanctus,

Nee tamen bis iterum posse latere fuit.
Diruta Vigilius nam mox bsec Papa gemiscens,

Hostibus expulsis, omne novavit opus.
Gruter (Inscript. antiq. tome iii, page mclxxi. 4)

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 181

wished to search these immense subterranean galleries,
either to seek treasures, or in the hope of finding some
secret entrance into the city. Their Arian fury was at
this time exercised against the Catholic sanctuaries,
and the most precious monuments of antiquity were
exposed to their violence. It is certain, that in the
VIII. century, Cecilia's tomb had no longer any pre-
cise inscription, since the Lombards vainly sought the
Virgin's body that they might carry it away. We
may, therefore, conclude, with sufficient probability,
that this marble was destroyed by the Goths in the
VI. century, and that it was not renewed because the
faithful were so well acquainted with the locality of
the martyr's tomb. The pious zeal of Pope Vigilius
with regard to the three martyrs, of whom we have
just spoken, refers principally to the rebuilding of
their sepulchres, to which he added a new inscrip-
tion. We have no proof that either he, or his suc-
cessors, undertook the restoration of all those which
had been defaced. The faithful of Eome, who at this
time, frequently visited the cemeteries, had not for-
gotten the tombs of the principal martyrs ; the work
undertaken by John III. must therefore have been
principally the consolidation of the galleries and halls,
and the restoration of the sepulchres injured by the
barbarians.

We learn from the Liber Pontificalis, that under
this Pontiff, divine service was not only still per-
formed in the sacred crypts, on the days commemora-
ting the triumph of the Martyrs, but that the Holy
Sacrifice was offered there regularly every week
John III. ordained that the Lateran Church should

16

182 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

furnish the bread, wine, and lights, required every
Sunday for the holy functions.*

This pious Pontiff displayed on another occasion
his confidence in the protection of the holy martyrs.

The Eomans, annoyed by the presence of Narses
in Italy, where he represented the authority of the
Emperor Justinian, formed a cabal to oblige this
great general to abandon the government of the pen-
insula. They even went so far as to write to the
Emperor that they preferred the tyranny of the Lom-
bards to that of Narses. The latter, wounded by the
ingratitude of the Eomans, retired to Campania, and
in his indignation invited the Lombards to take pos-
session of a city which had so ill requited his services.
In reality, this intrigue had been plotted by the
schismatics of Italy, who never ceased protesting
against the V. General Council whose authority Jus-
tin, as a Catholic prince, sustained, John III. trembled
for his country, and hastened to Narses. He suc-
ceeded in inducing him to return to Eome ; but the
Pontiff had become odious to the party whose designs
he had frustrated. On his return, instead of going
to the Lateran Palace, he concealed himself, as Urban
had formerly done, under the shadows of the martyrs'
tombs. He chose that part of the Cemetery of Pre-
textatus, which, in honor of the husband and brother
of Cecilia, was called the Cemetery of Saints Tibur-
tius and Valerian.f Over the funereal galleries, where

* Instituit ut oblationes et amulse, vel luminaria, per eadem
Ccemeteria omni die Dominico de Lateranis minis trarentur.
Anastas. in Joanne iii.

f Tunc sanctissimus Joannes Papa retinuit se in Coemeterio
sanctorum Tiburtii et Valeriani. Anastas. In Joanne iii.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 183

the Pontiff came to learn patience from the example
of the holy martyrs, rose the Church of which we
have spoken, surrounded by several buildings for the
accommodation of the priests and different function-
aries. John III. resided some time in this obscure
retreat. He celebrated the divine Mysteries some-
times in the Church, and sometimes in the subterra-
nean chapels ; and the Popes' Chronicle adds that he
even consecrated several Bishops while concealed in
the cemetery.*

At the same time, about the year 570, the holy
Archbishop of Eavenna, Agnellus, finished the
mosaics of the superb church, erected, under the
title of St. Apollinaris, by the great king Theo-
doric.f We may even attribute this splendid em-
bellishment to that munificent prince who died about
the year 526. However this may be, this vast group-
ings of mosaics is of great interest in our history,
because, of all the monuments which Christian art
dedicated to the memory of St, Cecilia, it is the most
ancient which has been preserved to our own days.
It represents the following picture :

"A band of twenty-five martyrs advance towards
our Saviour, to present him the crown they hold
in their hands, whilst twenty-two Saints direct their
steps towards the Mother of Christ, who holds her
divine Son upon her knees. The name of each vir-
gin is written above her head : St. Cecilia is placed
between Lucy and Eulalia. They are all standing

* Habitavit ibi multo tempore, ut etiam episcopos ibidem con-
secraret. Anastas. in Joanne iii.

f " Vid Ciampini. Vetera Monimenta, tome ii, page 100."
The Mosaic is engraven in full upon several plates.

184 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

dressed in rich and elegant costumes, and holding
crowns in their hands. According to the style of
the Byzantine mosaics, a tree is placed between each
figure, to indicate that those represented, inhabit the
garden of heaven." The sixth century closed during
the pontificate of St. Gregory the Great, who occu-
pied the Holy See, until the fourth j^ear of the fol-
lowing century. This illustrious Pontiff arranged
the Liturgy in its present form, and gave to the
office of St. Cecilia the prominent place it occupies.
A fearful contagion having desolated Rome in 590,
Gregory, in order to avert the anger of God, ordered
seven processions, which were to commence from
seven different churches, and all to repair to the
Basilica of St. Mary Major, the last invariable refuge
of the faithful in such calamities. The first proces-
sion, which was that of the clerks, advanced from the
Church of St. John Lateran ; the second, composed
of laymen, from that of St. Marcellus ; the third, of
monks, from the church of Sts. John and Paul ; the
fourth, that of the religious, from the church of Sts.
Cosmas and Damian ; the fifth, that of married women,
from the church of St. Stephen; the sixth, that of
widows, from the church of St. Vitaiis; and, finally,
the seventh, composed of the poor, and of children,
from the church of Cecilia.*

* Litania Clericorum exeat ab Ecclesia beati Joannis Baptistse.
Litania virorum, ab Ecclesia beati Martyris Marcelli. Litania
monacliorum, ab Ecclesia martyrum Joannis et Pauli. Litania
ancillarmn Dei, ab Ecclesia beatorum martyrum Cosmae et Dami-
ani. Litania feminarum conjugatarnm, ab Ecclesia beati primi
martyris Stephani. Litania viduarum, ab Ecclesia beati martyris
Vitaiis. Litania pauperum et infantium, ab Ecclesia beata? mar-
tyris Caecilise. Oratio ad pi eb em, de mortalitate. S. Gregorii opp.,
tome v, page 278. Edit GaUiccioli.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. . 185

The Pontiff thus placed under the protection of the
martyr, the feeble and the suffering, to whom, during
lier life, she was so devoted. The Lord heard the
supplications of his people, and through the inter-
cession of the Queen of Heaven, the exterminating
Angel was commanded to sheathe his sword.

The Basilica of St. Cecilia seems to have been re-
built and rededicated under Gregory's Pontificate.
At least, we may draw this conclusion from the
famous charter of St. Paschal, of which we shall soon
speak.*

It is not surprising that towards the close of the
sixth century, this edifice needed repairing, and the
fact recorded in the charter of St. Paschal, connects the
name of St. Gregory in a particular manner with, the
Church of the great Martyr. Moreover, this fact is
confirmed by the very expressions of St. Paschal, which
are to be read in every copy of his charter, and in
which he declares that he has nominated St. Gregory
as one of the patrons of the monastery which he erected
near the Church of St. Cecilia.

A last fact relative to the homage paid by St.
Gregory the Great, to St. Cecilia, may be found in
the present he sent to Theodolinda, the Queen of the
Lombards, of several vials containing oil from the
lamps which burned in the cemetery of the martyrs.

It is well known how great was the paternal
affection of the Pontiff towards this princess, w^ho re-
mained true to her faith in the midst of an Arian

* " Titulus quern pise devotionis affectu sanctus Papa primus
Gregorius doctor eximius dicaverat." Sec the text of this char*
ter, with this important version, in Bosio, Acta S. Ccicili(P y p.
44, and in Laderchi, p. 204.

10*

186 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

court, and who had the happiness of converting her
nation to Catholicity. His intention in sending her
these vials of holy oil, was, that she might unite with
the faithful of Eome in venerating the martyrs. To
facilitate this, he sent her at the same time a topo-
graphical index of the different Saints from whose
lamps the oil was taken, that so she might picture
more vividly to herself the sacred ways of Christian
Eome. This valuable list, written upon parchment,
is still preserved in the Church of St. John the Bap-
tist at Monza. The names of the Saints are frequently
grouped together according to the locality of their
tombs in the crypts. This order was also indicated
upon each vial by means of small labels, most of which
are still preserved, either fastened to the bottles or
detached from them. In most cases the oil taken from
lamps belonging to several tombs,. was mingled in one
vial. That relating to our illustrious Martyr bears
the following inscription :

SCA. SAPIENTIA^ SCA SPES. SCA FIDES. SCA

CARITAS. SCA CAECILIA. SCS TARSICIVS.
SCS CORNILIVS. ET MVLTA MILLIA SCORVM.

This inscription at once carries us back to the Ap-
pian Way. We find in it the names of four celebrated
Eoman Saints, St. Sophia with her three daughters,
Faith, Hope, and Charity, who like their mother
obtained the crown of martyrdom.* The place of
their sepulture was not positively known, but this
monument proves to us that it was upon the right
side of the Appian Way. On the parchment, these
Saints are placed between Saints Sotera and Cecilia,
who were incontestibly a short distance from each
* Acta SS. Augusti. Tome i. Die 1° Augusti.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 187

other in the same region of the Callistus Cemetery ; '
hence we find their names in the same inscription
with that of the glorious Martyr in whom we are so
deeply interested. After these four names, comes that
of Cecilia, followed by that of Tarsicius, who, as we
have said, reposed near her in the cemetery of Sixtus ;
St. Cornelius is the next mentioned ; his tomb, re-
cently discovered upon the Appian, forms another
proof .of our assertion; and the number of martyrs
mentioned later, confirms all we find in the guide-
books relative to the Cemetery of Callistus. We
have, therefore, a monument of the Gregorian period
respecting St. Cecilia. This modest vial has been
preserved for centuries, and a portion of the oil it
contains was taken, during the pontificate of St. Gre-
gory, from a lamp which burned near the virgin's
tomb. The crypt of Cecilia and Sixtus has since been
laid waste ; the monuments and lamps have dis-
appeared ; Cecilia's body has been carried to Eome ; the
subterranean vaults, formerly the object of such ardent
veneration, have been silent and desolate for centuries,
whilst the vial still exists, and is a proof of the vene-
ration of the Eomans of the sixth century towards
this spouse of Christ. But this is not all. Another
vial in the treasury of Monza, containing oil from the
lamps which burned near the tombs of Cecilia's hus-
band and brother, bears the following inscription :

SCI SEBASTIANI. SCS EVTYCIVS. SCS QVIR1NVS.

SCS VALERIANVS. SCS TIBVRT1VS. S. MAXI

MVS. SCS VRBANVS. SCS IANVARIVS.

Here we again find the many groups of martyrs we
described as reposing at the extremity of the Callistus
Cemetery, upon the right of the Appian: Sebastian,

188 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Eutychius, and Quirinus. Next follow three heroes,
Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus, who were buried
■upon the left side of the Appian. Sts. Urban and
Januarius, whose tombs were situated in the same
region, are very naturally added to the preceding.
Here again a fragile vial, preserved by the piety of
the faithful, serves, at the present day, to prove the
faith and confidence reposed by the Christians of Eome
and the Queen of the Lombards, in the noble heroes
whose memory we have celebrated. These bottles
were carried to Theodolinda by a person named John,
who signed the parchment upon which they are de-
scribed, without adding any titles to his signature,
but those of sinner, wretched and unworthy. 45. Before
concluding this chapter, we will mention a circum-
stance which refers at least indirectly to our history.
St. Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria, wrote to St.
Gregory, begging that he would send him a copy of
the Deeds of the Martyrs, formerly collected by Euse-
bius. The holy Pope answered that he knew of no
Acts of the Martyrs compiled by Eusebius, except
those which are still found in his Ecclesiastical
History. U I know of no other," adds the Pontiff, j

* Marini. Papiri diplomatici. N. cxliii.
f" Nulla in Archivio." Moretti observes with reason that, these
words of St. Gregory should he understood in a relative, not in
an absolute sense : pauca quccdam. The holy Pope had just told
the Patriarch of Alexandria that the Roman Church possessed a
book containing the names of nearly all the Martyrs pene omnium
Martyrum, meaning the Martyrology ; it is very evident that
there is no proportion between the number of Acts now extant,
and that of the Martyrs whose names we know. Were the Acts
of St. Cecilia to be found among the authentic collection of which
St. Gregory speaks ? There is no doubt of it ; otherwise the
Roman Church would not have taken from them the hymna
consecrated to this Martyr upon her festival.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 189

either in the Archives of our Church or in the Eoman
Libraries, unless it be a small number contained in
a simple volume.' "

CHAPTER XXL

EVENTS RELATING TO CECILIA AND HER BASILICA THROUGHOUT THE
SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CENTURIES. IN THE SEVENTH, THE BODIES
OF THE MARTYRS ARE DISINTERRED AND TRANSLATED TO THE
CHURCHES OF ROME.

Lsr 610, Pope St. Boniface IV. obtained from the
Emperor Phocas, the famous temple, known as the
Pantheon, to be converted into a church. We will
not enlarge here upon this subject. Joseph de
Maistre has treated it so nobly, that it would be
presumptuous even to attempt it.* In one of its
circumstances, however, the Christian inauguration
of the Pantheon is of some importance in the annals
of our saint, and we cannot pass over it in silence.
Until the year when this took place, the Eomans
had not thought of removing the remains of the
martyrs to the numerous churches of the city. The
faithful chose their sepulchres by the side of their
valiant protectors, hoping to rise with more confi-
dence in their company on the day of the general
resurrection. Even after peace had been restored to
the Church, the Popes themselves desired to be
buried near the martyrs. We have already spoken
of St. Damasus' humble wish to repose with the
saints of the Appian way, and of his having erected
* Du Pape. Tome II., pages 284-288.

190 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

his own tomb at the entrance of the Ardeatine Crypts.
His predecessors, Mark, Julius, and Liberius, ex-
pressed the same desire. The first selected his sep-
ulchre in the cemetery of Balbina, on the Ardeatine
Way ; the second, in the cemetery of Callipodius on
the Aurelian ; and the third in the Cemetery of
Priscilla on the Salerian. Siricius and Celestinus
prepared their tombs on this same AY ay. Anastasius
and Innocent in the cemetery called Ad ursum pilea-
tum ; Zosimus in that of Cyriacus in agro, Verano ;
Boniface in that of St. Felicitas.

Everything seemed to promise undisturbed repose
to these venerated bodies, confided to the silent
vaults, which even the Pagans had rarely violated
during the persecutions.

But Almighty God, in His Providence, had other
designs with regard to the crypts of the Holy City.
He intended they should be an inexhaustible mine,
from which the bones of the Saints. should be trans-
lated, to repose under the altar of sacrifice, and thus
signify the union of the members with their divine
Chief.

We have seen John III. repairing the cemeteries
after the incursions of the Goths ; these barbarians
had scarcely disappeared, w r hen the Lombards began
to establish their power in the Italian peninsula.
They frequently besieged Eome, and while encamped
round the city, often entered the crypts and com-
mitted many sacrilegious devastations. From that
time, the Popes felt it necessary to make the succes-
sive translations which almost depopulated the ceme-
teries. But such was, according to the beautiful idea

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 191

of Prudentius, the holy fertility of the Eoman soil,*
that although immense cohorts of martyrs reascended
in triumph to the light of day during the seventh,
eighth, and ninth centuries, many tombs are still
found from time to time, some with the martyr's
name engraven upon the sepulchral stone, f others
bearing no inscription, the names of those who re-
pose within them, being known only to Christ, for
whom they shed their blood.;}: The first solemn
translation was made by order of St. Boniface, at
the dedication of the Pantheon. Twenty-eight
chariots, filled with bones of the martyrs, taken
from the different crypts, traversed the streets of
Eome, and St. Boniface deposited under the new
altar the relics mutilated for Christ, but reserved for
an endless triumph. §

* Vix fama nota est, abditis
Quam plena Sanctis Roma sit,
Quam dives urbanuin solum
Sacris sepulchris floreat.

Prudentius, peri stephanon, Hymn. S. Laurentii.
f Plurima litterulis signata sepulchra loquuntur

Martyris aut nomen, aut epigramma aliquod.
Ibid. Hymnus S. Hippolyti
X Quorum solus habet comperta vocabula Christus.

Ibid.
§ Boldetti. Osservazioni sopra i Cimiterj de' santi Martiri.
Page 6ti6, We readily aceept this tradition, wliicli is based
upon an ancient manuscript found by Baronius, MartyroJ. Roman.
ad diem xiii. Maii. in the archives of Sanctse Maria? ad Martyres.
Facts of this nature are seldom invented, and although the mar-
tyrs were removed from the Catacombs principally during the
eighth century, it is natural to admit that the ravages made bv
the Goths, in the sixth, must have so completely destroyed some
of the galleries as to render it impossible to repair them. The
Pontiff wished to ensure a suitable ami safe resting-place for the

192 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

The temple of all the Gods received the name of
" Sanctse Mariae ad Martyres," thus blending under
this title the great Queen of heaven and earth, and
those to whom the Christian Church owes one of the
most invincible arguments of her divinity. Cecilia
was not among those who were removed by Boni-
face. Two centuries were destined to elapse before
the tomb sealed by St. Urban was to be opened.

We will not enumerate the different translations
made by the successors of St. Boniface up to the pon-
tificate of Paschal L, who had the glory of transferring
Cecilia's body to the altar of her Basilica. These
imposing translations continued until the twelfth cen-
tury. After this period, subterranean Eome remained
in the silence of its sacred gloom for nearly three
centuries, not being even disturbed by the ravages
made by the troops under the command of the Con-
stable de Bourbon. Men shrunk from these gloomy
cities of the dead, and, with the exception of the corri-
dors which opened near the Basilicas or in the light
of day, the immense city of Martyrs was rarely visited
by the faithful. Towards the close of the sixteenth cen-
tury, Borne awoke to the consciousness of the marvels
buried in her bosom, thanks to the courageous de-
hones of the saints, and the dedication of an edifice like the
Pantheon, furnished him an opportunity of carrying out his de-
sign. It is true that the Liber Pontificalis does not give in detail
this translation of the martyrs, but merely remarks that Boni-
face IV., in dedicating the Pantheon, placed therein, some
relics, et reliquias in ea collocavit, but this indication, which of
itself would be insufficient, on account of the vague idea con-
veyed by the word reliquias, is fully explained by the testimony
of the manuscript cited by Baronius, whilst it also accords with
historical conjectures.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 193

votedness of Antonio Bosio, who, with pious boldness
and profound erudition, entered upon this colossal
enterprise of exploration. In the following century,
the Apostolic See authorized the search for the bodies
of the Martyrs, and determined with great prudence
the only unquestionable signs by which they could
be discerned. We shall, before long, again visit these
mysterious vaults, and return with the precious trea-
sure too long hidden in the bowels of the earth. In
the meantime, the Roman faith was being propagated
throughout the north of Europe by the indefatigable
preaching of the Benedictines. From the day when
St. Gregory sent the monk Augustine to plant the
standard of the Cross in the Isle of Britain, a number
of apostolic preachers, principally monks, continued
up to the twelfth century to preach to the Saxons,
Germans, Scandinavians, Slavonians, and Livonians.
They all came to visit the Eternal City, some before
beginning their missions, others in the midst of their
combats, eager to imitate the Apostle of the Gentiles,
who, after being wrapt to the third heaven, neverthe-
less thought it his duty, as he himself tells us, to visit
St. Peter and compare his gospel with that of the
supreme Pontiff.* In 696, St. Willibrord, Apostle
of Friesland, visited Rome. Pope St. Sergius wished
to consecrate as bishop this herald of the divine word.
On the feast of St. Cecilia, and in her Basilica, he
imposed hands upon Willibrord, to whom he gave
the name of Clement, as a new link to bind him to
the Roman Church, which had been so gloriously
illustrated by this disciple of St. Peter, f Thus the

* 1 Gal. 18. | Von. Beda. Histor. Eccles. Anglo, lib. v., cap. xii.

17

194 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

episcopal see of Utrecht was founded by St. Willi-
brord under the auspices of St, Cecilia. About the
same time, a marvellous book appeared in the Isle of
Britain, consecrated to the glory and merit of Christ-
ian Virginity, and worthy to be ranked with those
written upon the same subject by Saints Cyprian,
Methodius, Ambrose, and Augustin. Its author was
the monk St. Adhelm, Bishop of the Western Saxons,
who thus celebrated, in the most melodious verse and
delightful prose, the glory and happiness of the Spouse
of Christ. Such was the elevated opinion, entertained
by the pious Bishop of Sherburn, of Cecilia's merits
and the honor she enjoyed in heaven, that after having
exalted the incomparable prerogative of Mary, the
Queen of Virgins, he places Cecilia first in the rank
of those who follow her to the heavenly spouse. She
is attended by Agatha, Lucy, Eugenia, Agnes, Doro-
thy, and many others, whose virtues he extols. This
holy prelate died in 709. He composed, about the
year 680, this graceful work which he styles " de Laude
Virginitatis," and borrowed from our Acts all that he
says with regard to St. Cecilia.* England, that

* We transcribe tlie verses of St. Adhelm as being the most
ancient poems extant on St. Cecilia after the hymn of the Gothic
Breviary.

Porro Caeciliae vivacem condere laudem,
Quae valeat digno metrorum pagina versu ?
Quae sponsum proprium convertit dogmate sancto,
Mellea carnalis contemnens ludicra luxus :
Basia dum potius dilexit dulcia Christi,
Candida praepulchris complect ens colla lacertis.
Quamvis harmoniis praesultent organa multis,
Musica Pierio resonent, et carmina cantu ;
Non tamen inflexit fallax praecordia mentis
Pompa prophanorum, quae nectit retia Sanctis,
Ne forto properet paTadisi ad gaudia miles.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 195

daughter of the Eoman Church, had therefore re-
ceived from her august mother, together with the holy
gospels, the touching recital of the virtues and tri-
umphs of Cecilia. We have another proof of this in
the martyrology, which Bede, the celebrated doctor
and historian of the Anglo Saxon Church, composed
about the same time in his monastery of Weremouth.
The eulogium which he consecrated to Cecilia, not-
withstanding its brevity, contains an analysis of the
Acts. It is stated that the Saint converted to the
faith of Jesus Christ, her husband Valerian and Ti-
burtius his brother ; that she prepared them for mar-
tyrdom ; and that she herself, after having withstood
the fire, perished by the sworcl, under the Prefect of
Rome,, Almachius.* m

Taliter interea compellans vocibus, infit,
Dum secreta petunt, concessa lege thororum :
Angelus en, inquit, superis tranavit ab astris :
Hie me, patronus, coelesti foedere fulcit,
Ut nequeam prorsus quidquam carnalis amare ;
Namq'ue meum jugiter conservat corpus in sevum,
Ut nnllus valeat spurco succensus amore
Contrectare mea probroso crimine membra :
Sed mox Angelicis ulciscens vindicat armis,
Qui me pollutis nituntur prendere palmis.
Sic devota Deo convertit foemina sponsum.
Nee non, et levirum solvens errore vetusto,
Donee credentes sumpsissent dona lavacri.
Facti municipes in summis arcibus, ambo
Martyres effecti, carnis tormenta luentes.

Biblioth. Vet. Pat., tome xiii. page 14.

* X. Kal. Natale S. Caeoilise Virginia, quae et sponsum suum
Valerianum et fratrem ejus Tiburtium ad credendum Christo ao
martyrium perdocuit : et ipsa deinde martyrizavit, ignem quidem
superans, Red ferro occisa, sub Almachio Urbis Pr»fecto. Marty-
rplogium Bedat. Ada SS. Martii y tome ii. page xxxix.

196 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

About the year 731, St, Gregory III. undertook to
repair the Churches of the Pretextatus Cemetery.
He rebuilt the arch of that of St, Tiburtius and Va-
lerian, which seemed fast decaying. He also directed
his attention to the Basilica of Sts. Urban and Janu-
arius, which he repaired like the former. In the
course of time, these venerable edifices, more and
more neglected in consequence of the martyrs' bodies
having been transferred to the city, crumbled away,
some partly, others entirely, and covered the ground
with their ruins. The Church of St. Cecilia in Rome
continued to receive the homages of the faithful.
Under the Pontificate of St. Gregory III., the deacon
Moschus was buried therein, and his epitaph, which is
still preserved, expresses the love and confidence he
had vowed to this holy martyr. It is under the
portico of the Basilica towards the right and runs thus :

SEPVLCHRVM QVOD IN HANC J3DEM VEXERANDiE
CHRISTI MARTYRIS CECILLE SITVM EST IN QVO ET
QVIESCIT IN PACE MOSCVS HVMILIS DIACOXYS S. SEDIS
AP0ST0LICE OMNES EXPOSCEXS VT PRO ME DOMINVM
EXORETIS QVATENVS EJVSDEM SACRATISSIM.E VIRGI-
NIS INTERVENIENTIBYS MERITIS CVNCTORVM COXSEQVI
MEREAR INDVLDG-ENTIAM DELIOTORVM *

Four other sanctuaries were erected in honor of
St. Cecilia, either outside the city or within its walls.

* According to the opinion of the learned Gaetano Marini, this
deacon, Moschus, is the same with the arch deacon of the same
name, mentioned in the celebrated inscription found in the Vati-
can Crypts. The inscription contains also important fragments of
the Acts of a Council, held, against the Iconoclasts, by Gregory
III., near the Confession of St. Peter. Vid. MaiL Scrip, vett. Tome
v. p. 466.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 197

Outside the city, on the Appian Way, that called
" Ad Sanctam Caeciliam," with which our readers are
already acquainted ; another upon the Tiburtine Way,
which has been entirely destroyed. About the middle
of the seventh century, Pope St. Zachary undertook the
restoration of the latter, embellished it with paintings,
endowed it, and made it a dependency of the Church
of St. Peter.- In the interior of the city, the Basi<
lica of Saint Cecilia de Domo, of which we have
spoken; and another, called Saint Cecilia de Lupo
Pacho, and elsewhere de Turre Campi. Later, it was
distinguished under the name of Sancta Cecilia a
.Monte Giordano, because the quarter in which it was
situated, formerly belonged to Giordano Orsini.f We
shall again refer to these two Churches. In the year
768, for the second time, the titulary Cardinal of the
Basilica of St. Cecilia, who had been named to that
office by St. Zachary, ascended the Apostolic Chair,
under the title of Stephen IV. This election took
place in the Church itself. Two years after, in 770,
St. Opportuna, the pious abbess of Montr euil, was
warned of her approaching death in a vision in which
Cecilia appeared to her on the 10th of April, at day
break. Opportuna's cell was suddenly illuminated
with the most dazzling light and embalmed with
delightful perfumes. Two celestial virgins descended
towards her, radiant with glory. They were Cecilia
and Lucy, resplendent with light and beauty. The
holy Abbess, recognizing them through divine inspira-
tion, thus addressed them: "Hail, Oh my sisters,

* Anastas. In Zacharia.

t See the diploma of Urban III., in Fonseca do Basilica S. Lau-
rentii in Dainaso, Page. 252.

17*

198 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Cecilia and Lucy! What does the glorious virgin
Mary, Queen of Heaven, Virgin of Virgins, ask of
her humble servant?" The two messengers of the
Mother of God replied : " Opportuna, faithful Spouse
of Christ, the most pure Virgin Mary awaits thy com-
ing. The moment has arrived when thou shalt be
united in Heaven to her Son whom thou hast loved
upon earth with all the strength of thy love. Put on
thy crown of glory ; light thy lamp ; the moment
approaches when thou shalt be presented to thy
heavenly Spouse." Twelve days scarcely elapsed
before the virgin breathed her last sigh in the arms
of the Queen of Angels.*

St. Leo III., who had terminated the eighth cen-
tury with so much glory, by placing the imperial
crown upon the head of Charlemagne, on Christmas
day, A. D. 800, was distinguished for his liberal
donations to the churches of Rome. To the Basilica
of St. Cecilia, he presented an altar-cloth of a material
called Stauracin, which was a kind of gold brocade,
studded with crosses. He also presented one of the
silver crowns, which at that time were suspended
before the altar, and served as chandeliers. This
silver ornament weighed ten pounds and one ounce.f

CHAPTER XXII.

DISCOVERT OF CECILIA'S BODY BY POPE ST. PASCHAL.

The moment had at length arrived when the dis-
covery of the long-lost sepulchre of St. Cecilia, was

* Mabillon Acta S. S. Ordinis S. Benedicti. Ssee. iii., part ii.,
page 230.

t Anastas. In Leone III,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 199

to verify the numerous traditions concerning this
saint, to which not only Kome, but the entire West,
had clung for centuries, with ever increasing enthu-
siasm. In 817, Paschal ascended the Apostolic
chair, and seemed to have been especially chosen to
people the churches of Eome with the relics of the
martyrs. It became almost a necessity to remove
these holy remains from those grottos, the vaults of
which were crumbling to decay, and which were no
longer visited so eagerly by the pious faithful.

In 761, the holy Pope, Paul I., had opened an
immense number of tombs, in the crypts which
seemed most liable to be destroyed, and had dis-
tributed the martyrs' bones among the churches,*
monasteries, and Basilicas. The Papal Chronicle
particularly designates the Church of St. Silvester's
Monastery, on the Campus Martius, which had been
founded by the Pope, as having been more favored
than the others. In a document relating to this
monastery, Paul gives his motive for disturbing
these venerated remains. " Throughout the course
of ages," he says, " many cemeteries of the Holy
Martyrs and Confessors, have been neglected and
destroyed. During the impious invasions of the
Lombards, they were ravaged from one end to the
other. These barbarians even went so far as to
search the sepulchres, and carry away many glori-
ous bodies. From this disastrous period, these ceme-
teries were no longer treated with the same honor,
the faithful having become very negligent in visiting
them. Must I say they have even allowed their

* Anastas. In Paulo,

200 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

animals to enter freely into these sacred vaults, and
some have not hesitated to use them as enclosures
for their flocks.''* Nevertheless, throughout the
eighth and ninth centuries, the numerous pilgrims
who yearly visited Borne, considered it a duty to
descend into the cemeteries of the martyrs, and visit
the Basilicas which gave entrance to them. Divine
Providence has permitted that many of the guide-
books in which they noted down all that their piety
rendered them anxious to remember after their return
home, should be preserved to the present day. These
documents, drawn up without art, frequently even in-
correctly, give us, among other things, the topography
of the cemeteries upon the different Ways, the details
of their accompanying Basilicas, the more or less
precise locality of several martyrs 7 tombs in the
same crypt; in a word, they are the only light with
which we can illumine the gloom of the Catacombs.
All the authors who have formerly spoken of sub-
terranean Eome, have, on account of not using them,
made numerous and inevitable errors.

With the assistance of these documents, many
obscurities have been cleared up, and positive facts
have been substituted for the erroneous assertions
which learned men had derived, either from state-
ments drawn up at a period when traditions con-
cerning the Catacombs had perished, or from con-
jectures totally void of foundation. With the assis-
tance of these valuable guide-books, we cheerfully
contribute the little that is in our power to that reno-

* See a long passage of this letter of Pope Paul 1st, in Bol-
detti, p. 96.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 201

vation of the antiquities of Christian Eome which,
we doubt not, will be effected at some future day :
and we earnestly pray that our illustrious friend,
who seems to have been chosen by heaven for this
noble mission, may successfully accomplish the task.
His genius has conceived it ; his vast science can
compass it ; and his piety convinces him of its im-
portance. The series of guide books of which we
speak, commences at the last year of the sixth century,
with the list of the holy oils sent to Theodolinda ;
it is continued by two descriptive documents taken
from a manuscript of St. Peter of Salzbourg, the
first evidently belonging to the seventh century ;
these two documents are more detailed than others, and
have already corrected many errors. That inserted
by William of Malmesbury in his history follows,
and is also filled with the most precious topographical
documents. It must have been written previous to
the year 818, since he describes many Martyrs as
reposing in the Catacombs, who were transferred to
the Churches of Rome by St. Paschal in that year.
Finally, the last is that which Dom Mabillon found
in the Library of Einsiedelen, and which, according
to its topographical details, can scarcely be dated
earlier than the ninth century. It is true there are
not many details with respect to the Martyrs, as he
confines himself to the description of the Basilicas
erected upon the Cemeterial Ways. But we know
that after the relics were taken away, these churches
were not visited, and being deplorably neglected,
gradually crumbled into ruins.

As we have already seen, in the document of St.

202 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Paul L, the neglect of the Eomans towards these
sacred cemeteries, caused them to be totally aban-
doned. In the beginning of the ninth century, the
inconvenience of this state of things was still more
sensibly felt, and it became necessary to put an end
to it. The cemeteries of the Appian Way had been
generally kept in better order, either on account of
the restorations made at different epochs, or of the
special veneration in which they were held ; but the
condition into which they had fallen on account of
the devastations of the Lombards, joined to other
causes which we have mentioned, imperiously called
for some decided measures on the part of the Eoman
Pontiff. In the second year of his Pontificate, Pas-
chal commenced the course of solemn Translations
which marked his reign in so special a manner.
We may form some idea of the importance of the
removals made by Paschal at this time, by reading
the contemporaneous inscriptions exposed in the
crypts of the Church of St. Praxedes. Two thousand
three hundred Martyrs are therein mentioned, as
having been buried by the Pontiff, either under the
principal Altar, or in other parts of the Basilica,
situated upon the right of the entrance, or finally in
a chapel dedicated to St. Agnes.

We learn from this precious inscription, that the
Pontiff transferred the bodies of the most illustrious
martyrs of the Appian Way, to the Church of St.
Praxedes. Many of the Pontiffs of the cemetery of
Sixtus, were included in this translation. First,
Sixtus himself; afterwards, Pontianus, Anterus,
Fabian, Lucius, Stephen, and Melchiades. Urban

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 203

had been brought from the cemetery of Pretextatus
and united to his colleagues. The bodies of other
Pontiffs, taken from different cemeteries, completed
this imposing collection.* Then followed a legion
of martyrs, some designated by their names, others
by their total number in each section. Holy women
who had been the ornament of Christian Eome, com-
pleted this assemblage of the elect. The most illus- '
trious were Praxedes and Pudentiana, Symphorosa,
Felicula, Zoe, Daria, and Emerentiana.f Cecilia
*vas not among them.

One day, in the year 821, Paschal J was praying in
the Basilica of St. Cecilia, when he was struck with
the dilapidated state of this august sanctuaiy. The
walls, which had been restored by St. Gregory, more
than two centuries before, were fast decaying, and
there was every reason to fear that, unless prompt
and efficacious measures were taken, the ancient
church, to which many sublime remembrances were
attached, would soon be a heap of ruins. Paschal
immediately made a resolution to repair the church
throughout, and to rebuild it in a style of magnifi-
cence even far surpassing its original splendor.

* They were Popes Alexander, Felix, Julius, Siricius, Ana-
stasius, and Celestin.

f See the inscription given for the first time in full, by His
Eminence Cardinal Mai Scriptorum veterum norm collectio, tome
v. pages 38, 40. The bodies of the martyrs to whom this in-
scription is dedicated, with the exception of a very few which
have been transferred elsewhere, still repose behind the marble
slabs which at some future day, may be removed to take out
these sacred bones, when the galleries of the Catacombs are at
length exhausted.

J Anastas. In Paschalu

204 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Paschal had been so zealous in recovering the re-
mains of the holy martyrs, that he could not conceive
such a project without desiring to find Cecilia's body,
that he might translate it solemnly to the house which
she had sanctified by her presence, and consecrated
with her blood. Before the Pontificate of Paschal,
her body had been vainly sought in all the crypts of
the Appian Way. Many reasons had rendered these
researches fruitless. It is true that Cecilia's tomb
could not be far distant from the church that bore
her name, and that of Sixtus ; but the gallery which
concealed this glorious sepulchre was at some distance
from the entrance to the Basilica. There was
nothing about the tomb calculated to attract atten-
tion. A narrow and rather elevated recess, closed by
a marble slab without inscription, might easily be
overlooked among so many tombs, placed one above
the other. Cecilia's tomb, although near the Papal
Sepulchres, was totally different, and before open-
ing it, it would have been impossible to understand
why St. Urban chose so honorable, and yet so modest
a sepulchre for the virgin.

As we have already seen, the Goths, in the sixth
century, made great ravages in the Catacombs, de-
stroyed sepulchres, and shattered the inscriptions.
This violence and the gradual abandonment of the
sacred crypts, accounts for the disappearance of the
epitaph which St. Damasus, or his successors, must
have dedicated to St. Cecilia, and which in any case
could not have been fastened upon the tomb, on ac-
count of its peculiar form. However this may be,
we find in the guide-books of Salzbourg, that Cecilia's

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 205

tomb was well known in the seventh century, and
that it was not far from the sepulchres of the holy
Popes, Fabian, Sixtus, and Dionysius.

On the other hand, the Malmesbury guide-book,
which must have been written previous to the year
818, in which St. Paschal removed the bodies of the
holy Pontiffs, Sixtus and Dionysius, relates that
these Popes still reposed in the Cemetery ad Sanctam
Caeciliam, and yet makes no mention of St. Cecilia ;
all traces of the latter must have been lost between the
end of the seventh, and commencement of the ninth
century. This therefore must have been the period
at which the sacred Cemeteries began to be less
frequented. But God willed that this very forgetful-
ness should preserve the tomb of St. Cecilia, under
circumstances when it would otherwise have been
despoiled of the sacred treasure it contained.

The Lombards, commanded by Luitprand, and later
by Astolphus, besieged Rome several times during the
eighth century. They entered the sacred Cemeteries
and carried off the relics of many martyrs. They
were very anxious to find the body of St. Cecilia, but
after a persevering search were unable to discover it.
Such zeal in these converted barbarians will scarcely
surprise us when we reflect that Luitprand purchased
with gold from the Saracens, the body of St Augus-
tin, which he transferred from Sardinia to Pa via.

But God would not permit Rome to be deprived
of a treasure which, for a moment, she did not fully
appreciate. It finally became the general opinion in
the Holy City that Cecilia's body had been carried
away by the Lombards. Paschal was not discouraged,

18

206 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

and eager to consecrate the restored Basilica, by
placing its illustrious patroness under the altar, he
commanded that the search should be recommenced.
He even visited the crj-pts himself, but could not find
the Virgin's body in any of the tombs he opened.
Finally, yielding too readily to the general opinion,
he gave up the search in despair, but the time
had arrived when Cecilia was to re-appear and enter
triumphantly into Eome.

One day, Paschal (he himself relates the circum-
stance) was assisting at the divine office in the Basi-
lica of St. Peter, near the Confession. The clerks
were melodiously chanting Lauds, and the Pontift
listened to the harmonious canticles with pious de-
light. He was finally overcome by drowsiness, the
consequence of his protracted vigils.* The sacred
chants sounded in his ears like a distant echo ; but
his eyes, closed to exterior objects, were suddenly
struck by a luminous vision. A young virgin of
great beauty and adorned like the Spouse of Christ,
stood before him.

Looking steadily at the Pontiff, she said in a firm
voice: "We owe thee many thanks! Hast thou
then, on simple reports and false rumors, abandoned
all hope of finding me ? Nevertheless at one time
thou wert so near me, we could have conversed
together."f

* Unde tamen, Domini annuente dementia, quadam die dum
ante Confessionem Beati Petri Apostoli, psallentmm matutinali
lucescente Dominica residentes observaremus harmoniam, so-
pore in aliquo corporis fragilitatem aggravante. Paschalis Papce
diploma,

f Astitit nobis pnella pulcherrima virginali aspectu, vel ha-

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 207

"Who art thou," asked the Pontiff, deeply agitated,
11 who speakest to me with so much assurance?"

" If thou wouldst know my name," said the virgin,
" I am called Cecilia, servant of Christ."* Paschal
who knew that apparitions are not always an index
of heaven's will, replied: "But how can we believe
thee ? Men say that the body of this holy martyr
was carried away by the Lombards." " They did
seek me," said the Virgin, " for a long time and with
great perseverance ; but the Virgin Mother of God
protected me. She would not permit them to carry
me away, and I am still in the same place where I
first reposed. Thou hast commenced researches ; con-
tinue them, for it has pleased the Almighty God, in
whose honor I suffered, to reveal my tomb to thee.
Take away my body, together with those of the other
Saints near me, and place us in the Church thou hast re-
cently restored."f After these words she disappeared.

bitu decorata, taliaque nobis, intuens, ait : Multas tibi gratias
referimus : certamen quod in- me diu apposueras, frustatoriis
relationibus pervulgatis, sine causa reliquisti ? Qui tanto
penes me fuisti, quod ore proprio loqui communiter valebamus.
Paschalis Papce diploma,

* Et dum a nobis diligenter interrogata fuisset : Tu quis es ?
Vel quod est nomen tuum, qui talia me prsesuniendo conaris ?
Si e nomine quaeris, Csecilia, inquit, famula Christi vocor. Ibid.

f Cui subjungens dixit : Quomodo hoe credere possumus, quia
olim fama relata est, quod ejusdem sacratissimsc Martyris corpus
a Longobardis inde fuisset ablatum ? Quae ita respondent dixit :
Veritas est, quod multum me desideranter quaesierunt, sed gratia
Dominae meae semperque Virginia Dei Genitricis affuit, quod
qualiter quotidie praesto sum, nullatenus me longius abire por-
misit ; sed sicut coepisti perage, et sicut operaris indesinenter
operare, quia omnipotens Deus tibi me placuit revelare, et cor-
pus meum cum aliis corporibus Sanctis, qua sunt juxta me, re-
conditis, in Titulo quern nupcr repafari mandasti, recondere
stude infra muros urbis. Et ha>c dicens abcessit. Ibid,

208 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

r Ke-animated by this vision, Paschal caused a new
search to be made in the Cemetery of Sixtus. The
name of this holy Pontiff united to that of Cecilia in
designating the same Church of entrance, naturally
guided the explorers. Much time had been lost in
searching the Cemetery of Pretextatus, and always
in vain. At this time the crypts of Callistus were
frequently confounded with those of Pretextatus, at
the point where these two cemeteries were blended into
one, near the Church of St. Sebastian. This is very
evident from the text of Anastasius,* a contemporary
historian, whose description of the discovery of Ce-
cilia's body perfectly accords with Paschal's account.
The Pontiff did not now seek on the left of the
Appian, a tomb which from the locality of the Ba-
cilica ad Sanctam Casciliam, he felt assured was on
the right. He descended the steps and once more
explored the sacred labyrinth. He finally reached
the subterranean galleries near the Church of Sebas-
tian. At a point where two roads crossed, a hitherto
unexplored tomb, placed in the angle of intersection,
struck his eyes. This sepulchre had been overlooked
on account of its extreme simplicity, but its peculiar
shape and the rememberance of Cecilia's words, in-
duced the Pontiff to examine it. He ordered the
marble to be removed, and to his excessive joy, dis-
covered in this deep and narrow cell, the tomb he had
so vainly sought. Cecilia reposed in her cypress
coffin, dressed in the antique robe of silk and gold in
which Urban had buried her ; and the linen and veils
which had been used to staunch her wounds, were

* Anastase. In PaschalL

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 209

rolled together and placed at her feet. Paschal certi-
fies that he touched with his own hands the venerated
remains of the daughter of the Cecilii.* The bodies
of Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus, were at a short
distance ;f nothing remained but to restore this illus-
trious family of martys to Kome.

But Urban was destined to share with his noble
daughter, the triumph prepared for her. St. Paschal
had already transferred the body of this holy Pon-
tiff to the church of St. Praxedes; after recovering
Cecilia's body, he formed the project of placing the
remains of the holy Pope under the same Altar with
those of Cecilia and her companions. He made
every preparation to celebrate the Translation of
these venerated Martyrs with all the pomp and
solemnity so great a ceremony required.

* Tunc etenim pro hujus revelationis manifestatione, omni
postposita difficultate, incunctanter et absque ambiguitato ipsius
venerabilis Virginis corpus inquirendum decrevimus ; qui etiam
annuente Deo, ej usque solito juvamine properantes, in Ccemeterio
sancti Sixti situm foris portam Appiam, sicut in sacratissima
illius Passione manifeste narratur, inter collegas episcopos, in
aureis indumentis, cum venerabili sponso reperimus, ubi etiam
linteamina, cum quibus sacratissimus sanguis ejus abstersus est
de plagis, quas spiculator trinapercussione crudeliter ingesserat,
ad pedes beatissima3 Virginis in unum revoluta, plenaque cruore
invenimus ; qua? omnia nostris manibus pertractantes, cum ve-
nerabili corpore honeste infra muros hujus Romanae Urbis in-
duximus. Paschalis Papm Diploma.

f We should not understand literally that Paschal found Ce-
cilia with her husband. It is evident that the two bodies were
not in the same tomb, but the sepulchres were close together : so
Cecilia related to St. Paschal when she appeared to him. Mere-
over, if Paschal had found Cecilia and Valerian buried to-
gether, he would not have separated them in the trans-Tiberian
Basilica.

18*

210 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

CHAPTEE XXIII.

TRANSLATION OF THE BODIES OF SAINTS CECILIA, VALERIAN, TIBUR-
TIUS, MAXIMUS, URBAN, AND LUCIUS. ST. PASCHAL'S MUNIFICENCE
TOWARDS THE BASILICA OF ST. CECILIA.

Cecilia was about to return to the Holy City
which had been honored by her presence so many
centuries before. The house where she had won so
many souls to Christ, which she had sanctified with
her blood, and transmitted to Pope Urban, to be
converted into a temple of the Lord, she would now
find restored by another Pontiff, and faithfully pre-
serving the destination she had given it at her death.

Several months had elapsed since the day when
Paschal had resolved to restore this sanctuary. On
the 8th of the Ides of May (8 May)* 822, the Pontifi
solemnly dedicated St. Cecilia's Church, and doubt-
less upon the same day he placed her holy relics
under the Confession.

He placed a white marble sarcophagus for the vir-
gin, who richly merited the first honors of so mag-
nificent a triumph. Paschal, following Urban's ex-
ample, respected the attitude of the Virgin. He left
her in the cypress coffin just as he had found her;
but he lined the inside of it with a rich fringed silk
damask, called quadrapulum ; over her body he threw
a light silken veil, also fringed, and made of a
materia^ called stauracin.'f When he had concluded

* See the ordo of the church of St. Cecilia 8 May, and the titles
published by Laderchi vol. ii. page 10.

t Fecit etiam in arcella ad corpus jam dictse Vlrginis vestem do
quadrapulo cum periclysi. Item ct aliam vestem de stauraci cum

mclvsi de olovero. Anaias. Li Paschal L

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 211

these arrangements, he closed . the tomb with a '
marble slab which was destined not to be removed
for eight centuries.

The three bodies of Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maxi-
mus, were placed in a second sarcophagus ; Valerian
between the two other martyrs, and each one wrapped
in a separate winding-sheet. Before closing the
second sepulchre, Paschal took the head of Tiburtius
which had been severed by the sword, and placed
this precious relic in a silver casket, weighing eight
pounds, wishing that the faithful should have con-
tinually before their eyes, so eloquent a testimony
of the martyr's courage.*

Paschal prepared a third sarcophagus for the body
of Urban, whom he wished to place with his spi-
ritual children. That the holy Pope might not
repose alone, he removed the body of Lucius, a suc-
cessor of St. Urban, and also a martyr, from the
church of St. Praxedes, and interred the Pontiffs
together. Urban and Lucius were also wrapped
each in a separate winding-sheet. Paschal having
closed this third sepulchre, caused a circular wall to
be built round the place where the martyrs reposed.
A marble slab, bearing a mosaic cross and an in-
scription, was placed inside the sepulchre, near the
tombs, to certify to posterity, the value of the treasure
which Paschal had interred there.

* Anastasius, or his copyist, erred in attributing to Cecilia
the head of which we speak. When the virgin's tomb was
opened the second time, the head was found with the body ;
and the tradition of the Basilica, which attributed the head to
Tiburtius, was confirmed by opening the tomb of the latter.

212 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

The following verses were engraven on the marble :

HANC FIDEI ZELO PASCHALIS PRIJVIVS AB IMO
ECCLESIAM RENO VANS, DVM CORPORA SACRA REQVIR[T,
ELEVAT INVENTVM VENERANDAE MARTYRIS ALMAE
CAECILIAE CORPVS, HOC ILLVD MARMORE CONDENS.
LUCIVS, VRBANVS, HVIC PONTIFICES SOCIANTVR ;
VOSQVE DEI TESTES, TIBVRTI, VALERIANE,
MAXIME, CVM DICTIS CONSORTIA DIGNA TENETIS.
HOS COLIT EGREGIOS DEVOTE ROMA PATRONOS.*

The principal altar of the church was erected over
the tombs ; according to custom, an opening pro-
tected by a movable grating, and called fenestella,
was cut in the solid stone; and within was a per-
pendicular conduit, by means of which, pieces of
linen, called brandea, were lowered down to the tomb.
After having been sanctified by this sacred contact,
these linen cloths were distributed as relics. Paschal
covered the altar, and the interior of the above-men-
tioned aperture with silver plates, and placed on the
altar a magnificent ciborium of the same metal, weigh-
ing five hundred pounds. He adorned the Confes-
sion with a statue of St. Cecilia, also of silver, weigh-
ing ninety-five pounds. Three other statues, prob-
ably those of Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus,
were grouped around that of the virgin. They were
made of the same material, but were gilded, and the
three together weighed forty-eight pounds. One
hundred pounds of silver were employed in the deco-

* When Paschal restored this church, he sought for and dis-
covered the body of the martyr, Cecilia, which he placed under
this marble. The Pontiffs Lucius and Urban are with her, and
you, also, Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus, occupy an honor-
able place. Here repose those whom Rome reveres as her power-
ful protectors.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 213

rations of two columns of Byzantine workmanship,
which supported an arcade, the whole interior of
which was covered with silver plates.*

The Papal Chronicle also gives an inventory of the
sacred vessels and furniture presented by Paschal to
the Basilica. We mention these details to prove this
Pontiff's veneration for the holy martyrs, also to
give some idea of the wealth of the Eoman churches
in the ninth century. Among the offerings were
twenty-six silver chalices for the different altars,
weighing together one hundred and nine pounds ;
two silver lamps, each weighing two pounds; a basin
of pure gold, weighing three pounds ; a silver censor
weighing one pound ; a purple altar-cloth, the centre
of gold brocade, upon which was embroidered an
angel distributing crowns to Valerian, Cecilia, and
Tiburtius, the whole trimmed with gold fringe of
marvellous workmanship ; costly veils and tapestry,
some destined for the Confession, others for different
altars of the Basilica, and for the Presbytery, with-
out counting the large and rich curtain, hanging at
the entrance of the church.f

A description of these fabrics, all of the richest
material, would detain us too long; we will, how-
ever, mention another altar-cloth which Paschal pre-
sented a short time before his death. It was of gold
brocade, and enriched with a magnificent piece of
embroidery, representing the resurrection of our
Lord.J

This Basilica, which the Pontiff had decorated
with such magnificence, was built according to the
* Anastas. In Paschali. \ Ibid. \ Ibid,

214 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

style observed in all the Eoman churches. A court
surrounded by a portico, with a fountain in the cen-
tre, was in front of the building.

The bath room in which Cecilia breathed her last
sigh, was upon the right, at the entrance of the Bas-
ilica. Above the columns of the grand nave, Pas-
chal caused to be painted a series of the Eoman
Pontiffs, from St. Peter to himself, similar to those
in the churches of St. Peter and of St. Paul.*

Between the apsis and the grand nave, a trium-
phal arch was erected covered with a brilliant
mosaic. In the centre, the mother of God was re-
presented seated upon a throne, and holding the Di-
vine Infant on her knees. She is accompanied by two
Angels, one standing on her right, the other on her
left. On either side, five Virgins are advancing
towards the throne of the Son and His mother, each
presenting a crown. These virgins are separated one
from the other by palm trees. Lower down, the
twenty-four elders of the Apocalypse, twelve on
either side, are represented raising their crowns to
Christ, to whose glory this triumphal arch was
consecratedf The mosaic of the apsis was not exe-
cuted until after the translation of the Martyrs, as
Paschal desired by its means to perpetuate the remem-
brance of this event so glorious for the Basilica.

It has been preserved until the present day, and
although the rich enamel is somewhat faded, the
mosaic is none the less venerable. In the centre, our
Saviour is represented standing, and clothed in a

* Marangoni. Cose gentilesche ad uso delle cliiese. Page 311.
f The design of this mosaic, which has been destroyed, may
be found in Ciampini, Vetera Monimenta, tome ii. page 157.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 215

mantle sparkling with gold. With His right hand,
he is giving a blessing according to the Greek manner,
while, in his left, he holds a roll of the Gospels. The
Byzantine artist represented St. Peter on the left of
our Saviour, because among the Greeks, that was
considered the post of honor. The prince of the
Apostles wears a silver cloak, and holds two keys,
the symbols of his power. Valerian and Cecilia
stand i^ext to him ; the former also wears a silver
cloak, and holds a crown in his hand ; the Virgin
has her hair fastened with a band, and her neck
adorned with a necklace formed of three rows of
pearls. Her dress and mantle are of gold, and she
holds a crown composed of two rows of pearls. The
picture terminates on the left with a palm tree laden
with fruit. St. Paul stands on the right of our Sa-
viour, enveloped in a golden mantle, and holding a
book of the Gospels richly bound. St. Agatha stands
next, crowned with a diadem, and clothed in a golden
robe, the beauty of which is enhanced by a rich trim-
ming of pearls. She rests her right hand upon the
shoulder of Paschal who wears the antique Chasuble
and Pallium, and holds in his hands a little edifice
representing St. Cecilia's Church, in the dedication
of which he added the name of Agatha to that of the
Eoman Virgin. The picture on this side also, is
terminated by a palm tree laden with fruit; a phoe-
nix stands upon one of the upper-branches of the tree,
as if to recall the symbolical bird which Cecilia caused
to be engraven upon the tomb of Maximus.

On the dower part of the mosaic, the Lamb of God
is represented with five rivers flowing under his ieet,

216 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

ancient symbols of the vivifying fountains which flow
from the Bedeemer's wounds. On either side, six
lambs, representing the Twelve Apostles, advance
towards the Divine Lamb.*

The monogram of Paschal is placed at the top of
the apsis, and on the lower part of this immense pic-
ture, the inscription in verse, in which he dedicated
this sumptuous monument of the Byzantine art to St.
Cecilia. It runs thus : +

HAEC DOMVS AMPLA MICAT VARUS FABRICATA METALLIS
OLIM QVM FVERAT CONFRACTA SVB TEMPORE PRISCO.
CONDITIT IN MELIVS PASCHALIS PR^ESVL OPIMVS.
HANC AVLAM DOMINI FIRMANS FVNDAMINE CLARO.
AVREA GEMMATIS RESONANT HJEC DYNDIMA TEMPLI.
LJETVS AMORE DEI HIC CONIVNXIT CORPORA SANCTA
CAECILIAE ET SOCIIS RVTILAT HIC FLORE 1VVENTVS,
QVAE PRIDEM IN CRYPTIS PAVSABANT MEMBRA BEATA.
ROMA RESVLTAT OVANS SEMPER ORNATA PER AEVVM.f

Such were the testimonials of Paschal's devotion
to St. Cecilia, and such were the ornaments with
which he enriched her Basilica. In his distribution
of relics to the different churches, he could not forget
that of St. Cecilia. Nine hundred bodies of Martyrs
were placed in her Basilica, as if to form an escort

* This mosaic may also be seen in Ciampini. Vetera Moni-
menta page 160.

f This vast temple, was falling to ruins when Paschal, in his
munificence, restored it. He placed this temple of God upon the
richest foundation ; the sanctuary, brilliant with gold, sparkles
with precious stones. Paschal reunited in this Church the
bodies of Cecilia and her companions. This family, composed
of young patricians whose remains were so long concealed in the
crypts, now reposes here.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 217

for the glorious Spouse of Christ, and also to increase
the dignity of her august sanctuary,*

Paschal was not satisfied with merely restoring the
dwelling of St. Cecilia ; he also wished to ensure a
tribute of homage which day and night should ascend
to heaven from this holy place. He therefore by his
largesses installed a choir of monks near the church
to sing the Divine Office. He caused a monastery
to be built in a place called Colles Jacentes, and en-
dowed'it with the revenues of a hospital which his
predecessor, St. Leo III., had founded near St Peter's,
upon a tract of ground formerly used for aquatic
games. This hospital had not prospered, and had
consequently been abandoned.

After having paid so much honor to the Virgin
Cecilia, Paschal happily ended his Pontificate which
is signalized among all others by acts of piety to-
wards the holy martyrs. The Pontiff had acquitted
the debt of gratitude which the church owed to those
who had cemented it with their blood. If the tri-
umph he reserved for Cecilia, exceeded that of all
the other martyrs whose relics he translated, it was
because Paschal, like Urban, felt that there are many
mansions in the house of the Heavenly Father ;f
and that the daughter of the Cecilii had heroically

* Sixtus V. Bref Salvator noster. Laderclii, tome ii. page 410.
This tradition is open to criticism. It seems at first sight to
have originated from a text of the Roman Marty rology of tho4th
of March, where nine hundred Martyrs are mentioned as being
buried ad Sand am Catriliam, viz., in the cemetery of Cecilia and
Sixtus. But as Laderclii remarks, Paschal may have trans-
ferred these martyrs to the church after the Translation of
Cecilia's body. This would explain every thing.

\ John xiv., 2.

19

218 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

ascended to one of those reserved for the most mag-
nanimous souls.

Paschal died in the year 824. In the following
century, Flodoard* a canon of the Church of Eheims,
and one of the first historians of France, wrote a
poem commemorating the deeds of the Eoman Pon-
tiffs. He eulogized the virtues of Paschal; but
dwelt particularly upon Cecilia's apparition to that
Pontiff, and described the glorious tomb where she
reposed in her rich apparel, surrounded by the blood-
stained evidences of her martyrdom. Thus even the
churches, in foreign countries, were deeply interested
in the events which had taken place in Eome, and

* We will give the passage of Flodoard's poem referring to the
events we have related

CcBciliae cernens incumbere casibus aedem
In meliora levat restructis culmina septis.
Defessum precibus, queni Caecilia visere Virgo
Affariquc probat dignum : taraen increpat, nt quid
Liqnerit incertum quaerendi membra labor em,
Qua? sublata putat popularis credulus aurae ?
Ut se res habeat referens, nomenque roganti
Adnotat, hortaturque piis persistcre coeptis ;
Gaudeat invento dum munere : nam placet, inquit ;
JEterno Domino, cujus splendoris amore
Me passam constat, noviter quo me ipse repertam
A te constructi templi munimine condas.
Hie dictis celeri repetit ccelestia saltu.
Papa revelato lsetus tarn lucis aperte
Indicio, indagans thesauri celsa talenta
Reperit, eximiis pretiosa monilia gemmis.
Aurea virgineum celabant tegmina pignus :
Carbasa Martyrii rutilabant sanguine clari ;
Qua? pater almificus manibus pia munera tractans
Colligit, inducens Urbi instrumenta salutis :
Atque locat thalamo candentia membra decoro.
D. Mabillon. Acta SS. Orel. S. Ben. scec. iii. part. ii. p 5S7

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 219

the glory of Cecilia seemed to be appreciated through*
out Christendom. Whilst Alexander Severus was
remembered only in the pages of history, the renown
of the noble young Eoman maiden, who had suffered
in his reign a cruel death, increased with every suc-
ceeding age. We will quote the eloquent lines of
St. John Chrysostom, who, wishing to impress the
people with an idea of the ever increasing glory of
the martyrs, contrasts it with that of the Cossars,
among whom he particularly names Alexander
Severus.

" The Eoman Senate," says this eloquent Bishop,
" decreed the apotheosis of Alexander Severus, and
made him the thirteenth of their principal gods;*
for this assembly had the power of creating and de-
claring gods. If these Pagans are asked : i How can
Alexander be a god ? Is he not dead ? Did he not
die a miserable death?' They reply: ' During his
life, Alexander accomplished many and noble actions.
He subjugated cities and nations ; he was victorious
in wars and combats; he erected innumerable tro-
phies.' I see nothing either new or suprising that
a man who was at once a king and a great general,
having under him large armies, should gain vic-
tories ; but I am filled with astonishment when I find
that a man, who suffered on the cross and was laid in
the tomb, daily performs so many miracles both on
land and sea ; this proves a secret and divine power.
After the death of Alexander, hi Jfcnpire was divided

* This remark of St. John Chrysostom is not strictly correct.
There is no certain proof that the Senate by special decree placed
Alexander among their gods; but Lampridins expressly says,
that during Alexander's lire a temple was elected to his honor.

220 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

and annihilated, and yet he did not restore it. What
could that dead man do? Christ, on the contrary,
founded an empire, but it was not until after his
death that he accomplished his work. But why do
I speak of Christ, when he has granted to his very
disciples so much glory beyond the tomb ? Tell me,
where sleeps Alexander's dust? On what day did
he die? "What I do know is, that the tombs of the
servants of God are erected with magnificence ; they
are the ornaments of the royal city ; every one knows
the day that is consecrated to them ; it is celebrated
throughout the world. The Gentiles cannot point
out Alexander's tomb ; they know not where it is.
The very barbarians know those of the Martyrs.
The sepulchres of those who served the Crucified,
surpass the palaces of emperors, not only by their
extent and beauty, but still more by the concourse
of people who visit them. Even kings prostrate
themselves before their tombs, and renouncing their
pomp, beseech the servants of God to intercede for
them. The fisherman and the tent maker are both
dead, and he who now wears the diadem humbly
implores their protection."*

CHAPTER XXIV.

CONFIRMATION OF THE ACTS OF ST. CECILIA BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES
ATTENDING THE DISCOVERY OF HER BODY. DIGRESSION UPON THE
RELICS OF ST. CECILI^J

Before resuming our history, let us dwell for a
moment upon the facts contained in the account of
* In Epist. ii, ad Corinth. Iloniil. xxvi, No. 4, 5.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 221

the finding of St. Cecilia's body; facts which serve
to verify our Acts. We have taken them principally
from Paschal's official document and the contem-
porary chronicle of Anastasius, both unknown to the
compiler of the Acts, since he lived three centuries
before, and his recital had been admitted into the
Liturgies from the sixth and seventh centuries.
They were also circulated throughout the Churches
of the West, at least a century before Paschal's ponti-
ficate, as we have already seen in the Chronicle of
Felix IV., the verses of St. Adhelm, and Bede's Mar-
tyrology. We found in Paschal's document, and in the
narrative of Anastasius, not only the names of Cecilia
and Valerian, but also those of Tiburtius and Maxi-
mus, and it was also stated that these four martyrs
were first buried upon the Appian Way. Although
Paschal's recital is so laconic, he mentions that Ce-
cilia was dressed in a robe of gold and silk. The
Acts had already given us this information which is
indeed of secondary importance. Yet its confirmation
serves to prove the veracity of the compiler. Pas-
chal does not say that he discovered near the body
the ampullas filled with blood, which are still found
in the martyrs' tombs ; but he mentions pieces of
linen which had been saturated in blood, lying at
Cecilia's feet. Here is an additional proof of the
fidelity of our historian who was the first to mention
this fact. The circumstance of the linen cloths is
characteristic of the martyrdom of our Saint. They
prove the staunching of a wound inflicted by a sword ;
they are not to bo confounded with the sponges used
to collect the martyr's blood, which was afterwards

19*

222 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

pressed into vases destined to preserve it. The linen
cloths in Cecilia's tomb were rolled up with great
care and placed at her feet as a trophy. By their
mute but eloquent testimony, they recalled the tragic
scene of the Caldarium. Later we shall see Cecilia's
tomb again reopened, and then new discoveries will
give additional proof of the minute accuracy of our
Acts.

The circumstances of the discovery of Cecilia's
body, in 822, also serve to enlighten the critic upon
the value of the virgin's relics, which several churches
boasted of possessing, before the pontificate of Pas-
chal. St. Venantius Fortunatus, in the seventh cen-
tury, speaks of those which St. Vitalis, Bishop of
Eavenna, had placed in the Church of St. Andrew.*
It is very evident that these relics could not have
been those of our holy martyr, since her tomb was
not opened until the year 822. Many relics are
spoken of, after this period, as being those of St.
Cecilia. Ehaban Maur commemorates in a poem,
the bones of St. Cecilia, which he declares that he
placed in his church at Fulda, with those of Sts.
Valerian and Tiburtius ;f in another place, he men-
tions nine altars, which he says he enriched with
her relics4

A statement of the relics preserved in the Basilica
of St. Cecilia, at Eome, and which appears to have
been compiled about the beginning of the twelfth
centu^, mentions four altars of this same church, as
containing relics of the glorious patroness; in two

* Venantii Fortunati Carmima. part i. lib. i. carra. ii.
f Rhabani Mauri. Opp. tome iv. page 231.
t Rhabani Mauri. Tome vi., pages 215-221.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 223

of the altars, the relics were bones.* The treasury
of the celebrated Church of St. Martin of Tours,
which was pillaged by the Calvinists, in 1562, con-
tained a head of St. Cecilia, enclosed in a reliquary
partly of gold, partly silver gilt, and enriched with
precious stones.f A second head was kept in the
church of St. Nicholas des Champs, in Paris ;:{: a
third in the treasury of the Abbey of St. Lucien de
Beamais.§ It would be easy to extend this enumer-
ation, with the assistance of different inventories of
relics found among the Bollandists and elsewhere ;
but we cannot pass over in silence, the arm of St.
Cecilia, and the relics of Sts. Tiburtius, Valerian,
and Urban, which Paul II. presented in 1346, to
John Jofroy, Bishop of Alby, who placed them in his
cathedral.|| All these relics, which we by no means
intend to stigmatize as pious frauds, could not possi-
bly belong to the Eoman virgin, whose history we
are relating. When Cecilia's tomb was opened in
1599, the body was found entire, just as St. Paschal
had placed it, under the altar of the trans-Tiberian
Basilica. Du Saussay, in his Martyrologium Galli-
canum, frankly acknowledges this, and he thinks
that the head preserved in the church of St. Nicholas
in Paris, must have belonged to Cecilia, Abbess of
Eemiremont.^"

It is difficult at first, to explain the mistake made

* Laderchi. tome ii., pages 11-14

f Gervaise, Vie de St. Martin., page 426.

t Du Saussay, Martyrelogiuni Gallicanum, tome ii., page 1231.

§ Baillet, Vies des Saints, 22 Novembre.

|| Gallia Christiana, tome i., page 33.

U Du Saussay. Ibid.

224 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

at Rome, and even in St. Cecilia's church, where,
from the twelfth century, the) 7 supposed that some
of the saint's bones were under several of the altars.
But it is easily accounted for, if we remember that,
besides the virgin married to Valerian, there were at
least three other holy martyrs, named Cecilia, two of
whom suffered in Rome. The first mentioned in the
Martyrology, attributed to St. Jerome, is marked on
the 2d of June; the second, on the 16th of Septem-
ber.- The third Saint Cecilia, suffered martyrdom
in Africa, during the persecution of Diocletian, .with
Sts. Saturninus, Dativus, and Felix, who are men-
tioned in the Roman Martyrology, on the 11th of
February, f

In the interval which elapsed between the first
discovery of Cecilia's body, in 822, and the second,
which took place eight centuries later, there was no
certainty as to the condition in which St. Paschal
had left the body in closing the tomb. It was uni-
versally the custom to remove some portions of the
holy relics before sealing the new sepulchre ; J this
may have given rise to the supposition that the
sacred bones attributed to Cecilia, belonged to the
jnost celebrated martyr of that name. This was

* Florentini. Martyrolog. St. Hieronynii. anj jours iiidiques.

f See also Doni Ruinart. Acta Sincera 31artyrv.ni. page 409.

% Although iu oldeu times relics were uot often divided, still
the numerous miracles wrought after the finding of St. Stephen's
body, did not prevent the precious bones of this martyr being
dispersed throughout Africa, as St. Augustin attests. At tne
period in which St. Paschal lived, this practice had become
still more common, ?nd if the holy Pontiff left Cecilia's body
entire, as was proved later, it must be attributed %o a special
osation of Providence.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 225

firmly believed ; the reopening of the tomb could
alone solve this great problem and supply the
records omitted in Paschal's document. The two
heads preserved in the Churches of St. Martin of
Tours,*and St. Lucian of Beauvais, may be attributed
to either of the two Eoman martyrs of whom we
spoke, or to the one who died in Africa.

Again, it would be necessary to know whether
there were two entire heads or simply different parts
of the same head. Churches frequently glory in
possessing the body of a saint, when they have only
a valuable portion of his bones ; it is the same for the
head, arms, or other principal members, and this mode
of expression, which is perfectly familiar to all persons
acquainted with this branch of religious archaeology,
was already in use in the fourth and fifth centuries.* It,
is, therefore possible, that the two relics preserved in
the Churches of St. Martin of Tours and Saint Lucian
of Beauvais, were but two portions of the same relic,
under the name of the Head of St. Cecilia. If we
come now to the relics of Fulda, which Ehaban Maur,
a contemporary of Paschal, expressly declares to be
those of the great Eoman Martyr Cecilia, and of Saints
Tiburtius and Valerian, we have the same reasons to
allege.

* St. Basil, in his homily upon the forty Martyrs (opp. tome
ii. p. 155) remarks that although the relics of these samts were
divided among a large number of cities, yet each city was justi-
fied in considering that it possessed the entire body. The odor et
is still more explicit : "Although the entire bodies of the mar-
tyrs arc not in the casket, although these frequently contain but
a small portion of their bones, still we commonly call these
relics the bodies of the Martyrs." Epist. cxxx. ad Tiniotheuni.
Opp. Tom. iv. p. 1218. Halffi. 1771.

226 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

• In 1599, the body of St. Cecilia was found entire;
hence the error in this case, as in the former one,
probably resulted from similarity of name. The
bones, of which Ehaban speaks, must have been those
of another Cecilia, and must also have been very
considerable, since he was able to distribute them
among nine altars of his abbey.

We find less difficulty in believing that this Church
possessed some of the bones of Valerian and Tibur-
tius. It is certain that Saint Paschal, in 822,
separated the head of Saint Tiburtius from his body,
and placed it in the Basilica. The bodies of the two
martyrs were not found, in 1599, in the same state
of preservation as that of St. Cecilia. It is very
probable that St. Paschal had distributed some of
their bones and that Ehaban had received a portion.

However, we will not be positive, because when
the tomb was last opened, the bodies of the two
brothers seemed complete, with the exception of
Tiburtius' head, and we are rather inclined to believe
that the relics of Fulda belonged to two other mar-
tyrs of the same name. A Saint Tiburtius is men-
tioned in the archives of the Eoman Church, on the
11th of August, — he is still commemorated in the
office of that day. A St. Valerian suffered also at
Eome, with several other Martyrs, about the year
167 ; and finally the Western Martyrologies have
preserved the remembrance of several other Sts.
Valerian and Tiburtius, whose relics may have been
removed, according to the usual custom, from one
place to another, and this may have caused confusion.

We will add a few words respecting the relics of

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 227

St. Cecilia which were preserved in the Church of
St. Andrew at Kavenna, in the sixth century. At
this period, and even long after, not only the linen
which had touched a Saint's tomb, but also that used
to cover his altar were considered relics ; indeed even
the oil of the lamps which burned before his body.
The relics of which St. Venantius Fortunatus speaks,
must have been of this nature, since for two centuries
after this bishop's death, Cecilia still reposed in a
sealed tomb of the Callistus Cemetery.

We trust the reader will pardon this little digres-
sion. We considered it absolutely necessary in a
book, intended to contain every fact relative to our
holy martyr. They will perhaps thank us for throw-
ing some light upon the relics honored under her name.
The solution was very easy in as much as it related
to our history ; but the matter required to be deli-
cately handled, since it concerns the honor of churches.
Too frequently, thoughtless or prejudiced men have
attributed to fraud, what was the result of an inno-
cent error proceeding from a similarity of names.
We frankly acknowledge that it has given us great
pleasure to proclaim on this occasion a new privilege
extended to Cecilia even in her tomb. Buried by
the hands of a martyr Pope, guarded in her sepul-
chre by the vigilance of the Mother of God, revealed
to a supreme Pontiff in a heavenly apparition, her
saintly body was found in a perfect state of preserva-
tion, surrounded by the eloquent tokens of her mar-
tyrdom. Paschal left it as he found it, that future
generations might share the happiness he had en-
joyed of contemplating the Spouse of Christ, trail

223 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

quill v reposing in her glorious sleep. New wonders
await us; but let us leave Cecilia, for some centuries
yet, calmly resting, not beneath the crumbling vaults
of the Callistus Cemetery, but amidst the splendor
of her own palace.

CHAPTER XXV.

EVENTS RELATING TO CECILIA AND HER BASILICA THROUGHOUT THE
COURSE OF THE NINTH AND TENTH CENTURIES. HOMAGE RENDERED
TO CECILIA IN THE GREEK LITURGY.

The ninth century, celebrated for the Translation
of innumerable martyrs from the obscurity of the
Catacombs to the Churches of Eome, was also re-
markable for the Martyrologies compiled in various
countries. Those attributed to St. Jerome and Ven-
erable Bede, were too incomplete to satisfy the piety
of the faithful, and the glory of the church im-
peratively demanded new and fuller details of the
heroism of her saints.

About 847, Ehaban Maur published a work in-
tended as a supplement to the Martyrology of Bede.
Soun after, (359), St. Ado, Archbishop of Vienna,
followed Ehaban in the same career, and in 876,
Usuard, a monk of St. Germain des Pres, published
a Martyrology, at the request of Charles the Bald.
This being more correct than those of his predeces-
sors, he has the honor of having prepared the vener-
able text which the Apostolic See, after having sub-
mitted it to the learned Baronius, presented to the
universal Church under the name of the Eoman

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 229

Martyrology. Such was the Catholic enthusiasm in
this matter, in the ninth century, that even in the
year 850, Wandelbert, a monk of Prum, opened, by
a martyrology in verse, the magnificent series of
poems for every day of the Ecclesiastical year, which
comes down to the seventeenth century.

All these Martyrologists speak of St. Cecilia with
considerable detail ; but no one developes the subject
so clearly as St. Ado, who seems to have wished to
give an abridgement of her Acts. The approbation
of so many men, versed in the study of sacred monu-
ments, gives additional authority to this document,
handed down with so much respect from the fifth
century. The authors of the martyrologies of the
ninth century, may have made some errors here
and there; but it would be a serious literary injus-
tice not to recognize as a confirmatory argument,
their unanimous opinion, concerning the value of an
historical document; particularly when this docu-
ment had been considered authentic in preceding
ages. Men, influenced by undue partiality, may
affect to despise the testimony of Ado and Usuard,
but we can produce in favor of these learned men,
considered simply as critics, the testimony of Dom
Euinart and of Bossuet, neither of whom can be
accused of too blind admiration for the legendaries
of the middle age.*

* Dom Ruinart, in his History of the Persecution of the Van-
dals, wishing to prove the antiquity and authenticity of the
Acts of the holy Martyrs, Liboratus and his companions, oitefl
in full the notice given by the Martyrologists of the ninth oen-
. tury, and thus expresses his confidence in them : u Haec fusins
referre visum est, prout in illis authoribus habentnr, ut alarum
sit jam nono saeculo persuasum fuisse viria Historic sacra stu-

20

230 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

The successors of Paschal inherited his interest
in the Basilica which he had restored with so much
splendor, and adorned with such precious treasures.

In 827, Gregory IV. presented to the Altar of St.
Cecilia, a fabric of velvet embroidered with eagles
and griffins, and fringed with purple and gold.*

In the ninth century, devotion to St. Cecilia began
to spread throughout the Churches of the East, where
her name had not hitherto been inscribed on the list
of Saints ; later, the West accepted in return into her
Calends the illustrious virgins Catherine, Barbara,
and Margaret. The discovery of Cecilia's body not
only filled the Latin Church with joy, but spread her
fame in countries where she was comparatively un-
known. A Greek version of her Acts appeared in
Constantinople towards the end of the same century.
Its translator was the famous holy writer Simon
.Metaphrastes, Chancellor of the Emperor Leo VI.,
the philosopher, who reigned from 886 to 911. "We
do not undertake the task of defending this pious and
celebrated personage from the accusations made against

diosis, Victorem nostrum hujus sanctorum monachorum Pas-
sionis authorem fuisse." (Historia persecutionis Vandalicce, page
97, n° 3.)

Bossuet in la Defense de la Declaration, citing, in support of
his Thesis, (the responsibility of which we are far from assum-
ing) a passage from the Acts of St. Eusebius, a priest of Rome,
thus declares his favorable opinion of these Acts ; Hactenus
Acta, ubi innata simplicitate ipsa se prodit antiquitatis, et quibus
ejus generis Actorum aliquis inest gustus, hoc sapient. Turn
Usuardus monachus, et Ado Viennensis hcec Acta viderunt ; ex quo-
rum qurppe verbis brevem illam quam suis Martyrologiis inse-
runt, sancti Eusebii contexunt historiam." Defensio cleri Gal*
licani, part ii, lib. xv, cap. xxxiv.

* Anastas in Gregor. IV.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 231

him, but we do certify that Metaphrastes translated
with scrupulous fidelity the Eoman manuscript of the
Acts of St. Cecilia. It is easy to compare his trans-
lation with the original, and we have done so with
much pleasure, as it has enabled us to justify this
laborious writer whose services have been hitherto
repaid with ingratitude.

The Greek Menology, which corresponds to the
Latin Martyrology, was definitively compiled towards
the close of the tenth century. All the amateurs of
antique liturgies are well acquainted with the cele-
brated manuscript of this book, compiled by order
of the Emper^ Basil Porphyrogenetes, who ascended
the Byzantine throne in 976. This Menology,
which was published at Urbino 1727, with curious
vignettes of the first six months, from September
to February, contains a notice of St. Cecilia on
the 24th of November, in the style of the "West-
ern Martyr ologies. To avoid repetition we will
not transcribe the passage. We merely wished to
mention this first notice of the martyr in the Greek
liturgy. The Church of Constantinople, then still
united to the Apostolic See, was not satisfied with
this purely historical homage rendered to St. Cecilia.
At this time, was completed that part of the Greek
Liturgy which corresponds to our Proper Masses of
the Saints ; they were compiled by the most pious
and skilful among the Greek writers of sacred verses.
The following are some of the stanzas dedicated to the
Eoman virgin:

" Cecilia, worthy of all praise ! thou hast preserved
thy body from all stain, and thy heart from sensual
love ! Thou hast presented thyself to thy Creator aa

232 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

an immaculate Spouse, whose happiness was con-
summated by martyrdom ; He received thee as a spot-
less virgin, and owned thee as His Spouse !

11 The Lord, in his wisdom, vouchsafed to crown
thy brow with the fragrance of roses, O holy virgin !
Thou wert the link which united two brothers in the
same happiness, and thy prayers assisted them.

11 Abandoning the impure worship of idols, they
proved themselves worthy of the mercy of Him who
was born of a Virgin, and who permitted His blood
to be poured out for us like a precious perfume.

" In thy desire for the treasures of heaven, thou
didst despise the riches of earth ; disdaining the love
of mortals, thou didst chose a place among the choir
of virgins, and thy wisdom guided thee to the hea-
venly Spouse.

" Thou didst valiantly combat and trample under
foot the malice of the demon, 0, thou honor of the
Athletes of Christ I

" Glorious Cecilia, august martyr ! thou art the
holy temple of Christ, His noble dwelling, His pure
abode. Deign to intercede for us who celebrate thy
praises.

11 Eavished with the beauty of Christ, strengthened
by His love, sighing after His joys, thou didst die to
the world, and wert found worthy of eternal life.

11 A spiritual love made thee disdain the affections
of earth ; thy discourse, replenished with wisdom,
inflamed the heart of thy Spouse with the love of
holy virginity ; thou art now united with Him in
the choirs of angels. 0, martyr, worthy of heaven's
reward !

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 233

" An angelof light was ever by thy side, surrounding
thee with divine splendor; His arm guarded thy purity,
and kept thee ever chaste and pleasing to Christ.

" Thou, 0, Valerian, didst desire baptism ; an envoy
from heaven appeared ; he enlightened thy mind, de-
claring to thee the sacred oracles ; he enrolled thy name
among the heavenly choir, whilst thou wert yet com-
bating on earth."

11 Thou, 0, Tiburtius ! quitting the path of error,
didst gain the knowledge of heavenly things ; de-
spising this perishable life, thou didst eagerly hasten
to immortality ; believing in the adorable Trinity
with thy whole soul, thou hast combated as a valiant
warrior ! O, Cecilia ! the desire of possessing God,
and His holy love, burned in thy inmost soul, and
consumed thy entire being ; thou wert an angel in a
mortal frame. With intrepid courage thou didst
bare thy neck to the sword ; thy blood consecrated
the ground which received it, and thy soul sanctified
the air in its flight to heaven.

"The three children changed the flames of the
fiery furnace into dew, and thou, Cecilia, by the vir-
tue of the baptismal waters, sang, like them, in the
midst of seething vapors: ' Be thou blessed, O-God
of my fathers!' Thou art the enclosed garden, the
sealed fountain, the veiled loveliness, the glorious
Spouse adorned with a brilliant diadem, the bloom-
ing paradise of the Heavenly King, 0, Cecilia, re-
plenished with God I"

234 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

CHAPTER XXVI.

EVENTS RELATING TO CECILIA AND HER BASILICA THROUGHOUT THE
ELEVENTH, TWELFTH, THIRTEENTH, AND FOURTEENTH CENTURIES.
VENERATION PAID TO THE ROMAN VIRGIN IN FRANCE.

The eleventh, one of the greatest of Christian
centuries, owes its principal glory to Saint Gregory
VII. This Pontiff' could not fail to venerate the
generous virgin, who had won the admiration of
Urban, in the heroic days of faith. Gregory, the
martyr of Christian liberty, whose energetic and
tender soul showed its power in the struggle against
the Empire, at the same time that it poured forth its
sweetness in his letters to the pious Countess Matilda,
was devoted to Cecilia's glory, and humbly solicited
her patronage. He renewed the altar of the trans-
Tiberian Basilica, embellished it with a silver statue
of the saint, and solemnly dedicated it in 1075, the
third year of his Pontificate. The inscription which
recalls this event, was placed in the crypt, where it
was seen in the thirteenth century, when the altar
was renewed. It is thus conceived :

f DEDICATVM EST HOC ALTAEE
DIE III. MENSIS IVKII PER DNVM
GREGORIVM PP. VII. AN3T0 DNI MLXXV,

When this giant of the Lord had finished his course,
and traced out a path for his successors, he expired
at Salerno, pronouncing these forcible words, which
will re-echo throughout ages : "I have loved justice
and hated iniquity ; therefore do I die an exile.''
His death occurred on the twenty-fifth of May, feast

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 235

of St. Urban; hence the names of these two great*
Pontiffs were united in the Christian calendar, as
they had been in their reverence for Cecilia. This
holy martyr assisted the Eoman Church in the
eleventh century, with even more power than in the
days of Almachius.*

At this period, the different altars of the Basilica
were rebuilt and consecrated anew, and the Cardinal
Bishops were so eager to obtain the favor of the
Spouse of Christ, that they would not permit any
other prelates to dedicate them. We find from an
ancient deed, preserved in the archives of the Basilica,
that the altar of our Saviour, situated to the left of
that of the Confession, was dedicated on the 22d of
May, 1060, by Humbert, Bishop of St. Eufine, the
same who was so zealous for the interests of the
Apostolic See, when sent as legate to Constantinople,
at the time when Byzantium was preparing to con-
summate her schism. This same bishop was also sent
on a mission to France, where, by his zeal, he crushed
the heresy of Berengarius.

John, Bishop of Porto, who exerted so much in-

* This blending of the names of Sts. Urban and Gregory VII.
on the 25th of May, was remarked in the eleventh century by
the contemporary biographer of the latter Pontiff, and we can-
not resist the pleasure of citing his eloquent remarks upon the
heroic death of Gregory :

Itaque septiformi gratia plenus Septimi Gregorii spiritus, qui
mundum et principes ejus arguebat de peccato, et de injustitia
et de judicio, in fortitudine ccolestis cibi nuper accepti, ccolestem
viam arripiens, meritoque divini zeli, velut igneo curru instar
Elise subvectus, Urbani prcedecessoris sui cujus ea die festivitOB
txtitit, omniumque beatorum loctitiam in coelesti gloria cum
Christo gaudentium excellenter ampliavit. Paulus Bernrieden
S. Gregorii V1J. vita, Cap. xii. Ada SS. Maiu Tome vi. page 102,

236 . LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

fluence in the election of Gregory VII., to whom he
remained inviolably faithful, consecrated on the 25th
of May, 1071, the altar of the Blessed Virgin ; and,
on the 3d, of January, 1072, that of St. John, ad
fontem.

As we before stated, the bath room in which
Cecilia suffered martyrdom, had been transformed
into a chapel ; Ubald, Bishop of Sabine, dedicated
its altar on the 17th of September, 1073.* Finally,
the altar of St. Mammes, situated to the left of the
grand altar, was consecrated on the 24th of February,
1098, under the pontificate of Urban II. by Maurice,
Bishop of Porto. f

Thus, in the latter part of the eleventh century,
the Basilica of St. Cecilia seemed to share in the
universal renovation, which was felt throughout the
whole Church of Jesus Christ.

Before his death, Gregory VII. had designated as
his successor, Didier, the Abbot of Mont Cassin,
Titulary Cardinal of St. Cecilia's church. After a
determined refusal of nine months, the humble
monk finally yielded, and, under the name of Victor
III. assumed the government of the Church. He
directed it with great success for eighteen months,
when he was called to receive the reward of the elect.
The trans-Tiberian Basilica counted in him the third
Pontiff she had given to the universal church.

The twelfth century offers us some graceful stanzas

in honor of St. Cecilia, found in a long sequence upon

Christian virginity, attributed to the venerable

* Altare Sanctse Ceciliae, quod est in Balneo ejus.
t See in Laderchi, Vol ii, page 10-15, thfl deed which relates
to the dedication of these altars.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 237

Aelred, a Cistercian monk of the Abbey of Kieval,
in England.* She is also mentioned with praise in
a discourse of the learned and pious Honorius
of Autun. We find in the three following centuries,
innumerable sermons in honor of this glorious mar-
tyr, written by the most talented men of the middle
age. William of Paris, Albert the Great, St. Thomas
of Aquin, St. Bonaventure, St. Vincent Ferrier, are
among the panegyrists of St. Cecilia. We regret
that the style of these authors is too dry to admit of

* Istos nores virtutis geminae,
Transplant avit in mente virgine
Filius hominis.

Quos diversos facit nativitas,
Non disjungit nlla diversitas
In caput Virginis.

Rosa floris cornscat libere,
Flos lilii non minus prospere
Candet interius.

Quos attulit Sanctae Caeciliae,
De secreto divinae patriae
Coelestis nuncius.

Ne flagraret carnis concubitu,
Conflagrata divino spiritu
Caro puellulae.

Nee timeret ensem sanguineum
Vel catastae stridorem ferreum
Corpus juvenculae.

Mancipata divino cultui,
Consecravit Sancto Spiritui
Suum conjugium.

Spiritali rore refrigerans
JEstus carnis, mundique temperans
Onine ludibrium.
Biblioth, vett Patrum, tome xxiii, page 168-

238 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

our citing any passages from their sermons, which
are rather scholastic than oratorical. They are, how-
ever, precious links in the uninterrupted chain of
homage paid to the memory of the generous mar-
tyr throughout the course of ages.

Many other historians of this period were equally
eager to celebrate Cecilia's merits ; Vincent de Beau-
vaisinhis " Historical Mirror " Jacques DeVoragine
in his Golden Legend, Peter De Natalibus in his Lives
of the Saints, and finally Saint Antoninus, in his
Chronicle, are distinguished among others for the
accuracy with which they have adhered to the sub-
stance of the primitive Acts. The Church at this
time shone with the virtues and prodigies of the
Saints who illustrated the last three centuries of the
Middle Age. Cecilia's name was dear to all the friends
of God, and this glorious Spouse of Christ frequently
rewarded their love by appearing to them. St. Domi-
nic saw the Mother of God enter the dormitory of his
disciples, accompanied by Cecilia.* The Queen of
Angels appeared to the Blessed Eeginald, to reveal to
him his vocation to the order of Friar Preachers and
on that occasion also was attended by Cecilia.f Some
of the brightest spirits of heaven were sent to console
St. Peter of Verona with pious colloquies, and the
future martyr was likewise favored with a vision
of St. Cecilia resplendent with glory, and accom-
panied by Agnes and Catherine.^

The Blessed Oringa, a Florentine virgin, avoided
without effort all the dangers which threatened her

*-Acta SS. Augusti, vol. i.

f Theodorio de Appoldia. lib. ii. cap. xiii.

t Acta SS. Aprilis, tome iii.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 239

chastity, and the infernal spirits being interrogated
by a libertine, who was tired of soliciting her in vain,
replied, that the servant of God was under the guar-
dianship of the same Angel who had protected the
virginity of Cecilia. St. Frances, the Eoman pro-
phetess of the fifteenth century, before founding her
celebrated monastery of Turrem Speculorum, had
chosen for her favorite resort the Church of St.
Cecilia, which was not far from the palace Ponziani
where she dwelt. She loved to partake of the holy
mysteries near the Virgin's tomb ; where often, rapt
in ecstacy, she heard and saw the mysteries of hea-
ven. There also she buried her two children, whom
the Lord called to Himself in their infancy — Evange-
list, in his 9th year, and Agnes not yet five.* France
also joined in the homages which were universally
rendered to Cecilia. Bernard of Chatenet, Bishop
of Alby, on the 15th of August, 1282, laid the
corner stone of his magnificent Cathedral, one of the
most astonishing specimens of the ogive architecture
in France, and the most imposing of all the monu-
ments erected in Cecilia's honor. The work was
carried on by the Bishops, Berald de Fargues,

* Acta SS. Martii tome ii. We regret that it is impossible
to insert among the communications which the servants of God
have had with St. Cecilia, several admirable incidents of the life
of the Venerable Mother Agnes of Jesus, prioress of the Domi-
nican convent at Langeac. This great Saint professed a special
devotion to our martyr, and was frequently honored by her
visits. The interviews which took place between the glorified
and the militant Virgin, may be found in full in La vie de la
Mere Agnes de Jesus par l'Abbe de Lantages pages 230, 608, 611.
We shall find in these interviews all the strength and tender-
ness so admirably depicted in the Acts ol" the Itoiuan Virgin.

240 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Jean de Sayo, Guillaume de la Voulte, and, finally,
Louis d'Amboise who dedicated it on the 23d of
April, 1480 ; it was not, however, entirely completed
until 1512, wlien Charles de Eobertet was bishop of
Alby. Built of brick which has become blackened
by time, terminated at the western extremity by an
immense tower which rests on four galleries and
rises four hundred feet above the waters of the Tarn,
the Church of St. Cecilia d'Alby, with its severe
aspect, and walls one hundred and fifteen feet in
height, looks more like a formidable fortress, than a
temple consecrated to the Virgin whose name it bears.
But the interior of this noble building is such as
befits the sanctuary of the Queen of Harmony. Its
vast nave, destitute of columns, rearing its vaulted
roof ninety-two feet above the pavement, and sur-
rounded by twenty-nine chapels, presents an animated
appearance, not only on account of the graceful and
yet imposing effect of its domes and arches, but also
from the admirable blending of statuary and painting.
This Church is deservedly considered the most com-
plete in all its parts, of any, this side of the Alps.

In an architectural point of view, we cannot suffi-
ciently admire the marvellous art with which the
progressive developments of the ogival style are
blended. All is correct ; no violent transition offends
the eye, or disturbs the graceful effect of the united
whole. The choir corresponds with the rest of the
edifice. Louis d'Amboise placed opposite to one of
the side doors, the effigy of Constantine, and oppo-
site to the other, that of Charlemagne. The interior
is adorned with a prodigious number of graceful and

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 241

elegant statues, placed in fanciful stone niches.
That nothing may be wanting to this sublime Cathe-
dral, the whole edifice is covered with paintings.
Scenes from the Old and New Testament and from
the Lives of the Saints, the History of the Church,
the Last Judgment and the torments of hell, cover
the pilasters, the walls, and the small chapels. The
rich azure of the vaulted ceiling is also resplendant
with brilliant and graceful designs, a harmonious
profusion of fanciful arabesques, ornaments of the
acanthus, escutcheons, and medallions, sparkling
with gold, which is as fresh as the ultramarine
ground work that relieves the whole. Such, in a
few words, is a description of the superb sanctuary
which the piety of France has dedicated to Cecilia, but
the veneration of the French people towards the heroic
virgin, was manifested even in Eome. Guillame de
Bois-Eatier, Archbishop of Bourges, in his zeal for
Cecilia's glory, descended into the crypts of the
Appian Way, and finding that the tomb which, for
six centuries, had preserved her body, was unorna-
mented, he caused the empty sepulchre of the great
martyr to be embellished at his own expense.* The
monument which he erected has been destroyed ;
but the inscription which may still be seen, bears
the following words :

HIC QVONDAM RECONDITVM

FVIT CORPVS BEAT^E CiECILI^E

VIRGINIS ET MARTYRIS.

* Labbe. Biblioth. MSS. t tome ii. page 130.
2L

242 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

HOC OPVS FECIT FIERI REVERENDISSIMVS

PATER DOMINVS GVILLELMVS ARCIEPS
BITVRICENSIS ANNO DOMINI MCCCC NONO.^

More than once, French Cardinals presided as
Titularies, in the marble pulpit which was erected
in the centre of the apsis of the Church, so proud
of containing the relics of its noble patroness. The
most illustrious of all was u.n questionably Simon de
Brie, who was created Cardinal by Urban IV., in
1262, and placed upon the Apostolic Chair under
the name of Martin IV., in 1281. He was the
fourth Pope appointed from the Church of Saint
Cecilia. This Pontiff, who governed Christendom
with honor during the short space of four years,
presented two donations to the Basilica as a proof
of his devotion. The first was a silver statue,
adorned with precious stones ;f the second, a much
more valuable gift, was the promotion of John
Cholet, Bishop of Beauvais, to the Cardinalate with
the Title of Presbyter of St. Cecilia's church. This
prelate was very successful in important legations
to France and Arragon ; he also founded in Paris
the college which for a long time bore his name.J

In 1283, he rebuilt with magnificence the Altar
of the Confession, which had been consecrated by
Gregory VII. two centuries previously. With the

* Here formerly reposed the body of the Blessed Cecilia, Vir-
gin and Martyr. This monument was erected by order of Wil-
liam, Archbishop of Bourges, the year of onr Lord 1409.

f Ciaccouius. Vitce et res gestie Pontificum Romanorum et S. R<
E. Cardinallum, tome ii, page 238.

% Ibid, page 239.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 243

exception of some embellishments made in the seven-
teenth century, of which we shall speak later, the
altar is the same used at the present day. The in-
scription engraven upon it by the architect of John
Cholet in the thirteenth century, runs thus:

HOC OPVS FECIT ARNVLFVS ANNO MCCLXXXIII.

Vasari thinks that the Arnulphe above mentiotied
is the celebrated ornamental painter Arnolfo di
Lapo. The altar is ornamented with a rich mosaic
upon a slab of that beautiful violet-colored marble
called paonazzeito. Arnolfo's work is completed by
a ciborium formed of four columns of black marble,
spotted with white, called by the Italians preconesio.

Under Clement V., in 1312, the Church of St. Ce-
cilia was again confided to a French Cardinal, Gruil-
laume Godin, of the order of Friar Preachers, who
at a later period was appointed Bishop of Sabine.*
Clement VI., in 1342, entrusted it to Guy of Bou-
logne, Archbishop of Lyons, who resigned that See in
the same year, and became Bishop of Porto.f In
the following century, in 1426, Martin V. bestowed
the title of St. Cecilia upon the last French bishop,
whose name was placed among the Beatified. This
was Louis d'Alleman, Archbishop of Aries, famous
for hostility to the Holy See in the conventicle of
Basle, but more happily celebrated for the generous
confession of his fault, at the feet of Nicholas V.J who
restored to him the title of which Eugene IV. had

* Ciaoconius, tome ii., pago 384.

f Ibid., page 403. Gallia Christiana, tome iv., p. 105.

J Ibid., pa^o 841.

244 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

deprived him. Louis d'AUeman was succeeded in
the Church of Saint Cecilia by another French pre-
late, who had followed him in the path of error, and
who had also imitated the sincerity of lr.s repentance,
Louis 'de la Palu, whose public career commenced
with the council of Constance. He had been created
cardinal by Nicholas V., in 1449. In the sixteenth
century there were many French cardinals who held
the Church of St. Cecilia. The first was Gabriel de
Grandmont, Bishop of Tarbes, who was promoted to
the purple by Clement VII. He died in 1534, after
having occupied the Sees of Poitiers, Bordeaux, and
Toulouse. The next, under Paul III., was John of
Bellay, Bishop of Paris, who governed at the same
time the Churches of Limoges, Mans, and afterwards
Bordeaux ; he was but a short time titulary of the
Church of St. Cecilia. In 1560, he died, Bishop of
Ostia* Eobert de Lenoncourt, Bishop of Chalons-
sur-Marne, created cardinal by Paul III., obtained in
his turn the title of St. Cecilia.f This prelate, who,
according to a still prevailing abuse, possessed at the
same time several bishoprics, is the same who erected
in the Church attached to the Abbey of Eheims, the
magnificent tomb of the Apostle of the French.
Finally, the last French cardinal, who held the title
of St. Cecilia, was Charles de Guise of the house of
Lorraine, Archbishop of Eheims, who received the
cardinal's hat in 1547. Like the two preceding, he
was promoted to this dignity by Paul III4 The in-

* Ciaccoilrus, tome iii., page 568.
t Ibid., page 646.
X I bid. , page 724.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 245

. fluence of this prelate in the general affairs of the
Church, more especially at the Council of Trent, is
well known.

We cannot conclude this chapter without mention-
ing an illustrious cardinal who held the title of St.
Cecilia in the fourteenth century. He does not indeed
belong to France, like those we have just mentioned,
being an Englishman and a Benedictine; but his
literary fame sheds a glory over his country and his
order. Adam Eston, a professed friar of the Abbey
of Norwich, was the most accomplished hebraist of
his time, and the catalogue of his writings would
alone be sufficient to place him at the head of the
learned men of Lis age. Urban VI. rewarded such
exalted merit with the honors of the purple, Eston's
career was, nevertheless, a stormy one, and from the
time of his elevation to the cardinalate, he knew no
repose until the day when, having yielded his soul
to God, his mortal remains were deposited in the
Basilica of St. Cecilia. The following epitaph was
placed upon his tomb :

ARTIBVS ISTE PATER FAMOSVS IN OMNIBVS ADAM

THEOLOGVS SUMMVS CARDI-QUE-NALIS ERAT.

ANGLIA CVI PATRIAM TITVLVM DEDIT ISTA BEATiE

^EDES CECILIA MORSQVE BEATA POLVM*

* Ciacconius. Ibid., tome ii., page 649. Ziegelbauer, Hist,
rci litter ar. 0. S. B., tome iii., p. 185 et seq.

2V

246 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

CHAPTER XXVII.

EVENTS RELATING TO CECILIA AND HER BASILICA THROUGHOUT THE
FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTURIES. HOMAGE PAID BY LITER-
ATURE AND THE ARTS TO THE ROMAN VIRGIN.

In the year 1484, the Bacilica of St. Cecilia gave
a fifth Pope to the Church, John Baptist Cibo, under
the name of Innocent VIII * A short time after his
exaltation, he invested Lawrence Cibo, his nephew,
with the purple, giving him at first the title of St.
Susanna, which he afterwards changed for that of
St. Cecilia. This cardinal was very munificent in
his donations to the Basilica. He restored the inner
porch, renewed the chapel of the bathroom, where
his coat of arms may still be seen; but he respected
the altar and pavement of this venerable sanctuary,
and these preserve their mediaeval character.

Numerous modifications successively made in this
chapel, had entirely destroyed its primitive charac-
ter. Pompey Ugonius, who wrote in 1588, declares
that in his time this sacred place was called the Thal-
amus or Oratorium of St. Cecilia, and that there were
old men who remembered having venerated in their
youth the bathroom, in which the holy virgin suffered
martvrdom ; but he adds, that all traces of this room
had disappeared, either because it had not been con-

* Among the gifts presented by the Cardinal J. B. Cibo to this
Basilica, was an immense bell which he placed in the chapel,
although it already contained three of smaller dimensions, dating
back to the year 1311 : MSS. Vatican, de Gallctti. 8025 Santa
Cecilia, tome i.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 247

sidered a monument of much, importance, or from
some other reason.

In the eleventh century, tradition expressly de-
clared that Cecilia's bathroom was in this place, and
that Cardinal Ubaldus, Bishop of Sabine, had dedi-
cated an altar there in 1073. Before long all un-
certainty will cease, and we shall see this holy place,
such as it appeared on the day of Cecilia's martyr-
dom, thus restoring to her dwelling its most import-
ant apartment to which are linked the most sacred
remembrances.

The monks of the monastery, which St. Paschal
built near the Basilica of St. Cecilia, did not persevere
in the practice of the Benedictine Eules, and the
building, like many others, was finally changed into
a collegiate church. Thenceforth Divine service was
not celebrated with the same zeal at Cecilia's tomb.
In 1417, Martin V. gave the Church and monastery
to the congregation of the Saviour, founded by St.
Bridget ;* but these religious did not long retain
possession of it, and before the end of the fifteenth
century the Benedictines were once more established
at Sancta Cecilia, f

The Lombard congregation of the Humiliati, a
branch of the Benedictines, were installed in the
monastery after the departure of the Brigittines ; but
from the beginning of the sixteenth century, the con-
gregation became so reduced that their number was

* Ciacconius, tome ii., page 825.

f This is proved by a sepulchral inscription, found in the
Basilica, which dates hack to the year 1475, and certifies that
from that time the Church and monastery were in the hands of
the Humiliati.

218 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

not sufficiently large to take charge of the monasteries
placed under their care. Clement VII. concluded to
make it a commendatory benifice, and, in 1532, con-
ferred it upon Cardinal Franciotto Orsini.* This
venerable sanctuary had been so sadly neglected
during these disastrous years, that it was barely pos-
sible to celebrate the Divine office in it on the feast
of St. Cecilia, and on the day of the station which
was solemnized each year in this Basilica on the
Wednesday of the second week of Lent. It seemed
God's will to send these dark clouds as a prelude to
the incomparable splendor which was destined in
1527 to illuminate this Basilica and restore the glory
which had suffered a momentary eclipse.

At the time when the commendary seemed about
to destroy Paschal's pious foundation, the Lord
inspired one of his servants with a design which
saved it. Maura Magalotta, the pious abbess of the
Benedictines of the Campus Martius, urged Clem-
ent VII. to allow her the privilege of going to dwell
with those of her sisters who wished to accompany
her in the monastery of St. Cecilia, and that she
might not interfere with the congregation of the Hu-
miliati, to whom the house was supposed to belong,
she offered to adopt their Constitutions.

The Pope was both edified and pleased with the
proposition of the abbess; but he could not grant
her request without the consent of the Titulary Car-
dinal. This Franciotto Orsini generously gave, and
in honor of St. Cecilia resigned the rich benifice
which had been bestowed upon him four yea^s pre
* Laderchi, tome ii., page 284.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 249

viously. Clement VII. had at this time retired to
the Castle of St. Angelo, where he was besieged by
the Constable de Bourbon. From this fortress he
dated the Bull which ensured the permanent cele-
bration of the Divine office in the Basilica, accord-
ing to St. Paschal's intentions. The Bull was dated
the seventh of the Calends of July, in Arce Sancti
Angeli; it authorized the removal of Mother Maura
Magalotta to the monastery of St. Cecilia, creating her
abbess of the congregation of the Humiliati, under
the rule of St. Benedict.*

It is well known that this order was suppressed
by St. Pius V. in 1575, in punishment of an attempt
made by one of its members at Milan to assassinate
St. Charles Borromeo ; but the Pontiff, far from ex-
tending this chastisement to the monastery of St.
Cecilia, which was flourishing with so much edifica-
cation, took it under his special protection, and en-
riched it with new privileges. Later, the female con-
gregation of the Humiliati having become extinct, the
Benedictines of the Campus Martius were called
upon to take charge of the monastery. In memory
of their sisters, who had been established here by
Clement VII., the nuns of St. Cecilia wear the white
habit formerly worn by the Humiliati.

Maura Magalotta devoted herself with zeal to the
reparation of her dear Basilica, which was somewhat
dilapidated, and made important improvements in
the monastery, the enclosure of which she enlarged.
An inscription placed over the principal door of this

* Laderchi, tome ii., page 313.

250 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

holy house records the services of the worthy abbess,*
who died on the 17th of May, 1566, aged seventy-
two years. She was buried in the Basilica, before
the altar of the Confession, by Mother Scholastica
Serleoni, who succeeded her.f

In 1584, under Gregory XIII., two altars were
re-dedicatecl in St. Cecilia's Church. One of the two
had borne the title of St. Mammes, and had been
consecrated in 1098, as we before stated, by Maurice,
Bishop of Porto, under Urban II. It was now des-
tined to be the altar of the blessed sacrament, and
was dedicated on the 7th of August, by Thomas
Goldwell, Bishop of St. Asaph.;}; The relics which
had served for the first consecration, in 1098, were
again placed in the altar. Among these relics,
were found some bones attributed to St. Cecilia ;
we have already spoken of them, but the moment
was now approaching, when it was to be fully proved
that they could not have belonged to our martyr.

In the preceding } r ear, Gregory XIII. had given
the purple to Nicholas Sfondrato, Bishop of Cre-

* Maura Magalotta Abbatissa, a Clemente VII., et Franciotto
cardinali Orsino praeposito hue accita, sedem banc divae Caecilise
sacram, quam monachi Humiliatorum S. Benedicti obtinebant.
in pnesentis nionasterii, ejusdem ordinis monialium formani
redegit, eainque pene collabentem restituit, adjectis insuper
hortis, quorum etiam ut honestior usus esset, claustrali eos
muro cinxit, anno a partu Virginis mdxxxi.

f D. 0. M. Maura Magalotta, per triennium Abbatissa raonas-
terii Canrpi Martii, deinde a Clemente VII., Pont. Max. Abbatissa
perpetua monasterii Sanctae Caecilise creata, quae instituit, in-
stauravit etdotavit. Obiit anno Dni mdlxvi. xvi. Kal. Junii, vitse
suae an. lxxii. Scolastica Serleoni Rom. Abbatissa, et suffecta
posuit.

t Ladercbi, tome ii. pages 340 and 406.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 251

mona. This Prelate, who was of an illustrious
Milanese family, and of distinguished piety, received
the Title of St. Cecilia, and seven years after was
elected to the chair of St. Peter. He took the name
of Gregory XIV. and was the seventh Pope from the
Basilica of St. Cecilia. After ten months of a brilli-
ant Pontificate, he died, but fortunately not before
he had elevated to the Cardinalate, his nephew, Paul
Emile Sfondrato, whose name is held in veneration
by all who are interested in the glory of our illustri-
ous virgin.

But before relating the great event which heaven
seemed to have held in reserve, only to throw more
vivid light upon the Acts of St. Cecilia, and to re-
animate the enthusiasm of the faithful towards this
Spouse of Christ, we will devote some pages to
recording the homage paid her by literature and the
arts. We have already listened to the harmonious
cadence of the Sacramentaries, the musical hymns
of the Mozarabic rite of Christian Greece, the epi-
thalamium of the Saxon Bishop, the uncultivated
verses of Flodoard, the flowing sequence of the
twelfth century ; all these have formed a poetical
concert to Cecilia's glory. The pious Thomas A.
Kempis now offers his tribute of veneration to the
Roman virgin, in a most devotional hymn, and a
charming acrostic*

* En virginis Cseciliae Hinc amor et dcvotio,

Fulget vita clarissima, Fervebat cum eloquio.

Quam sponsus pudicitise Hinc diebus ac noctibus

Elegit ab infantia. Sacris intendit fructibus.

Quae Christi Evangelium Nam duos fratres nobiles
Abscondebat in pectoro ; Christi offecit milites,

Ut Jesum nitons lilium Quos per ejus vestigium

Gasto servaret corpora. Hortatur ad Martyr in in.

252 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

He is soon followed by the celebrated Latin poet,
Baptista Spagnuolo, called the Mantuan, who conse-
crated to Cecilia his seventh Parthenia, dedicated to
Isabella, Duchess of Mantua. This poem of nine
hundred verses, filled with profane reminiscences,
like all the compositions of the Mantuan, is written
in the pagan style of the period in which its author
lived; it nevertheless contains many graceful and
easy verses.

We will not extend this list of the compositions
which form the poetical crown of Cecilia, but we
cannot pass over in silence the Epithalamium of
Angelo Sangrini, Abbot of Monte Casino, in which
the author extols the holy martyr, whom Italy par-
ticularly venerated in the sixteenth century. This
century, which gave to the Church the Annals of
Baronius, and the Controversies of Bellarmine, had
also the glory of collecting the Acts of the Saints,
thus preluding the immortal compilation of the
lesuits of Anvers. The different collections of this

Hsec cernens tunc Episcopus Beata Csecilia,

Urbanus vir Angelicus, Devota Christi famula

Resolvitur in lacrymis Per tua sacra merita,

De fructu tantee Virginia Nos Deo reconcilia.,

Domine Jesu suscipe Deo £atri sit gloria,

De manibus Caecilise Ejusque soli Filio,

Fructus casti consilii, Cum Spiritu Paraclito,

Sicut odorem balsami. Et nunc, et sine termino. Amen.

^ onsolatrix infirmorura, compassione.

tej lectrix supernorum, contemplations

Q onfortatrix Christianorum, prsedicatione.

*-* mitatrix Beatorum, sacra passione.

t" 1 iberatrix perditorum, devota oratione.

hh nventrix liliorum, casta conversations

> ssociatrix Angelorum, ccelesti revelatione.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 253

nature, which appeared at this epoch, all make honor-
able mention of Cecilia. From Bonino Mombrizzio,
who opened this new path to sacred erudition in the
early part of the fifteenth century, by his Sanctu-
avium, dedicated to Simonetta, secretary of the
Duchess of Milan, down to the Carthusian friar,
Lawrence Surius, who, in 1568, published his Original
Lives of the Saints, (comprising in the interval, the
Agiologium of George Wicklius, in 1541, and the
collection of Louis Lipoman, Bishop of Verona and
Bergama) the Acts of St. Cecilia were faithfully re-
produced. Surius was inclined to follow Metaphras-
tes, who, as we have said, borrowed them from the
Latin ; and the translation from the Greek, compared
with the Roman manuscript, shows the great respect
with which the religious writer of Constantinople
treated the touching relation of Cecilia's virtues and
martyrdom. The arts were even more eager to
glorify the daughter of the Cecilii. Architecture
paid its tribute in an elegant Roman Basilica, with
its marbles, mosaics, and sumptuous decorations,
and in the magnificent Cathedral of Alby, with the
majesty, grace, and boldness of its proportions. The
statuary of the Middle Age paid its homage by
placing the noble and placid image of St. Cecilia,
under the porticoes of our Cathedrals, where she stands
like a queen among the Spouses of Christ. We shall
hereafter speak of the masterpiece with which Ste-
phen Maderno enriched the Roman Basilica. It
represents the virgin sleeping in her mysterious
tomb.*

* We cannot mention here as a Catholic statue, the Muse

22

254 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

But Catholic painters, have, as it were, surpassed
themselves, in endeavoring to express the charm and
grandeur recalled by Cecilia's name. We will not
undertake here an enumeration which would far
exceed the limits of this monograph. We leave to
others, the pleasure of describing the large stained
windows on which is traced the history of our martyr,
the graceful illustrations of liturgical manuscripts,
the inspired works of the mystical school of the
fifteenth century, and all the marvellous testimonies
of love given her by so many artists. We shall
content ourselves with mentioning the mosaic of
Eavenna in the sixth century, already described, as
well as that which St. Paschal caused to be executed
in the apsis of the Basilica when the Virgin's body
was translated thither ; these two mosaics seem to be
the most ancient representations of St. Cecilia which
have reached us. The ninth century offers us a minia-
ture, in the Menology of the Emperor Basil, represen-
ting the martyrdom of the Saint. We next mention a
fresco of the twelfth century, painted in a crypt of the
Basilica of St. Lawrence outside the walls. The painting
is copied with great care in the magnificent collec-
tion of the frescos of the Catacombs, executed by
M. Perret, and published by the French Government.
There are many other interesting paintings, relating
to the illustrious Virgin, in the ancient pagan temple
near which St. Urban lived, and which has been
converted into a Church. These paintings have been

which. David sculptured under the name of St. Cecilia, and
which may be seen in the choir of the Cathedral of Angers.
The statue is graceful, but cannot be classed among the works
inspired by Christian faith in honor of Cecilia.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 255

reproduced by Agin court in his Histoire de V Art par
les monuments, and are referred to the thirteenth
century; they represent several incidents from the
Acts of St. Cecilia. We trust that at some future
day these frescoes will be published in a more suitable
manner, as they are doubly interesting, both on ac-
count of their tasteful execution and of the Church
which they ornament. At this same epoch, Cimabue
painted a portrait of Cecilia. She is represented seated,
veiled, and wrapt in a deep blue mantle, holding in
one hand a palm branch, whilst the other rests upon
a book of the Gospels. Eight small pictures of inci-
dents taken from the Acts, surround the main figure,
forming as it were a frame. By this representation,
we see that in the thirteenth century, no special
attribute was assigned to Cecilia. This painting,
now in the gallery at Florence, was designed for a
Church of St. Cecilia, which formerly stood in that
city, but which has been destroyed. We refer to the
thirteenth, and not to the ninth century, the graceful
paintings in compartments which formerly adorned
St. Cecilia's Church, only one of which has been
saved. The others are only known by the copies
which were taken before they had totally perished,
and which are preserved in the Barberini Library,
and also by the very imperfect engraving published
by Bosio* in his edition of the Acts of Saint Cecilia.
The fresco which remains, represents the burial of
the Virgin by St. Urban, and her apparition to Pas-
chal ; this latter scene is admirably executed. The

* D'Agincourt gives the designs of these pictures, hut in such
a miniature form, that it is impossible to form a correct judgment
of them.

256 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

nitre and pluviale* of the Pontiff do not permit us to
date this picture before the thirteenth century ; it may
even be placed in the fourteenth. In the fifteenth
century, we cannot omit Pinturieehio. who painted
five subjects taken from the life of our illustrious
Virgin, with that indefinable charm which character-
izes all his productions. They may be seen at the
gallery of Berlin. We must also speak of a charm-
ing fresco of the same century, now placed in the
sacristy of the little Church, which, according to its
ancient title, we have called St. Cecilia de i .

It represents the Angel crowning Cecilia and Val :-r-
ian; Tiburtius and Urban are also introduced. Al-
though considerably defaced, the picture breathes an
air of piety and recollection, and recalls the calm
repose which is the charm of Angelico da Fiesole's
productions. TTe do not intend to enumerate all the
monuments of St. Cecilia, but we consider it a duty
net to omit mentioning the admirable frescoes pain
by Francisco Francia and his pupils, in a chapel of
St James' Church, at Bologna. These pictures are
composed often compartments: the subjects are bor-
rowed from the Acts of the Saint, and are deservedly
ranked among the noblest works of Catholic art. in
its most brilliant period.

Thev have been inexcusably neglected and allowed
to deteriorate, yet they still preserve much of their
original beauty. The fresco which represents C
martyrdom, f is the only one which can be positively

*Cope.

t Rio De 1' Art Chretien, page 250. Montalembert. Du Van-
dal:sme et du Catholicisme dans Tart, p. 147.
Rio. Ibid, page 172.
In the Memoirs of the Academic Society of the /Lube.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 257

attributed to Francia ; it is far superior to the others.
These ten frescoes were engraven and published in
1825 ; but the engravings are so very imperfect, that
it is to be hoped others will be made. Unfortunately,
the entire series of paintings upon the Life of Saint
Cecilia, executed by Taddeo Bartolo, in St. Dominic's
Church at Perugia, has entirely perished. These
different compositions show how highly the artists of
this period appreciated our Acts. A precious docu-
ment of the fifteenth century, recently published by
M. Guignard, bookseller of Dijon, reveals to us that
profound study, which enabled these artists to de-
lineate with so much soul and truth, all the most
delicate and dramatic incidents in the lives of the
Saints.

This document contains the notes given to the
artists who were charged with executing the cartoons
of a tapestry destined for the collegiate Church of St.
Urban de Troyes. The plan comprised six large
pieces of tapestry, divided into twenty two subjects,
ten of which were to represent events taken from the
Acts of Saint Cecilia. The exactitude and attention
with which the scenes chosen were first analyzed, and
afterwards arranged in accordance with the simplicity
of the times : the sentiment to be expressed, the atti-
tudes of the figures introduced, the costumes ; the
details of surroundings ; all prove a careful study of
the Acts, and it is much to be regretted that thia
beautiful composition has perished, or, as Mr. Guig-
nard is inclined to think, was never executed. Wo
mention it, however, as one of the most touching

22*

258 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

homages offered by art to the memory of St.
Cecilia.*

The great artists of the sixteenth century, did not
forget Saint Cecilia. Their style was indeed little
suited to the supernatural, yet we find that many
among them delighted in painting Saint Cecilia.
We might cite Garofalo, Procaccini, Paul Veronese,
Salimbeni, Tempesta, Guido Eeni, Carlo Dolci, etc. ;
but these painters sink into the shade by the side of
the immortal Eaphael. Who does not know that the
Saint Cecilia of the Museum of Bologna, is classed
among the great works of this prince of modern
artists. Still we must acknowledge that many of the
figures are wanting in that heavenly expression

* We will refer here to a peculiarity of the fourth piece of
tapestry, which needs to be explained, as it is found in the most
beautiful frescoes of Francia, at Bologna. The artists of the
Middle Age, not understanding the vapor baths which were taken
by the ancients in the caldarium, were unable to comprehend the
torment to which Almachius condemned Cecilia, otherwise than
by supposing that she was placed in a caldron of boiling water.
They were somewhat embarrassed in their efforts to explain the
passage of the Acts which refers to the prodigy by which Cecilia's
body was preserved from moisture If she had been immersed
in boiling water, this passage would have been, to say the least,
very singular. In the fifteenth century, the archaeologists were
unable to explain to the artists a style of baths which were not
then used. Moreover, the latter would have found great diffi-
culty in representing in a painting the saint praying in the
caldarium, whilst by representing her half plunged in a caldron,
or, as Francia does, in a bath, with a lictor brandishing his sword
above her head, they were able to describe both kinds of martyr-
dom, as they understood them. A little later, Julius Romanus
and Guido understood the ancient customs, and represented
Cecilia kneeling in her caldarium, and extending her neck to
the executioner.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 259

which characterizes all his early paintings. For the '
honor of Cecilia, we prefer therefore, mentioning first, '
the beautiful picture in the royal gallery at Naples,
although she only figures in it as an accessory.
Eaphael painted it in 1505, for the religious of Saint
Anthony of Perugia, The principal subject represents
our Saviour taken down from the Cross and placed
on his mother's knees, Saints Peter and Paul stand
on one side, Saints Cecilia and Catherine on the
other. The wonderful talent of the artist is very
evident in these four figures, and thus we have a
Cecilia truly worthy of the divine Eaphael." 36, The
painting at Bologna is chiefly valuable as a work of
art: St. John the Evangelist and Saint Paul stand
on the right of the martyr, St. Augustin and St.
Mary Magdalen on her left. All these figures are
incontestably beautiful, but there is no mystical ex-
pression about them. Magdalen in particular does
not at all correspond with our idea of a holy penitent.
There is a heavenly expression about Cecilia, but her
embonpoint badly accords with our notions of a
saint. Emblems of profane music are scattered at
her feet ; her lyre rests upon her knees ; her eyes
are raised to heaven and she seems listening to
angelic concerts. This much admired painting was
destined for the chapel of St. John in Monte , at Bo-
logna. Vasari has asserted that Francesco Francia,
after looking at it, died of jealousy. Happily for the
honor of Catholic art, this is a mere fable. Eaphael
commenced his picture of St. Cecilia towards the
end of the year 1513, and finished it in 1514, and

* Vasari. Tonic iii. p. 1(J6.

260 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Francesco Francia did not die until 1533. Finally,
that we may omit nothing relating to the famous St.
Cecilia of Bologna, we will remind our readers that
it was this painting which awakened in Corregio the
consciousness of his own talent, and made him ex-
claim, " And I too am a painter."

Among the noble works of Domenichino, we find
no less than six pictures, wherein Cecilia occupies the
principal place. Besides these, we must also mention
the frescoes he painted at Rome in St. Cecilia's chapel
in the Church of St. Louis des Franeais. They em-
brace the entire life of the saint. The angel con-
versing with Valerian and Cecilia ; the Virgin dis-
tributing her fortune to the poor after Valerian's
martyrdom ; Almachius seated on his tribunal, and
the calm and imposing attitude of Cecilia, refusing to
offer incense to the idols ; finally and pre-eminently,
the immortal scene of Urban's interview with the
expiring virgin ; the bathroom inundated with gene-
rous blood which the faithful eagerly collect, the
poor assisting at the last moments of their faithful
benefactress, the Pontiff's ineffable emotion at the
sight of so sublime a sacrifice ; the martyr's legacy
to the Father of the faithful. The blending of all
these incidents portrays the Acts of Saint Cecilia far
more vividly than the most eloquent words could do.
We will conclude with a mention of Lionello Spada,
who died in the seventeenth century, twenty years
before Domenichino. In his admirable painting,
preserved .at St. Michael del Bosco, at Bologna, he
has represented Saint Cecilia in the midst of the
heated vapor of her caldarium. He is, we believe,

LIFE' OF SAINT CECILIA. 261

the first artist who ever attempted this subject, and
it must be confessed that he has both conceived and
executed it in an admirable mariner. Artists of the
French school have, in these latter days, represented
our Saint in a manner unworthy her dignity.

Every one is well acquainted with the picture
painted by Mignard, for Louis XIV., in which he
represented the virgin appareled like a coquette.
A renowned artist of our own day, has degraded
Saint Cecilia to the level of a lady in her boudoir.
May Catholic art soon resume her empire in our dear
France, and may her artists ere long present us with
a Cecilia worthy of the name ! Music claims the
Eoman Virgin as its special patroness ; she is the
Queen of Christian Harmony. Her name is blended
with all the triumphs of music in the sixteenth
century. Musical Societies were placed under her
protection, and her Festival was celebrated by melo-
dies composed in her honor. How often has a mass
in honor of St. Cecilia, or a hymn in her praise, been
the first composition of some talented musician ! How
many artists of superior or secondary merit, have
considered their compositions worthless until they
had dedicated a hymn to the Virgin whose protec-
tion they craved ! Even at the present day, the feast
of St. Cecilia is celebrated wherever music creates
the slightest interest.

In the annual concerts, which bring to the foot of
the altar so many men, who, during the rest of the
year, are wholly absorbed in worldly occupations,
masterpieces may be rare, the execution defective,
the motives for the assembly indifferent, if not worse ;

262 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

but it is delightful to find the most seductive of arts
acknowledging each year that the superior sentiment
of harmony emanates from purity of mind and
heart, personified in Cecilia. It is then that more
than one soul, animated with heavenly thoughts,
aspires after more harmonious and durable concerts
than those of this world of sorrows, where the chords
of the lyre, having been broken by sin, can only
be joined for a moment ; and can never resound with
a full and perfect accord, except when employed to
honor God, in concert with the angels. An English
poet has most happily expressed this thought in a
canticle which he composed for the Feast of St. Cecilia.

Our joys below it can improve,

And antedate the bliss above.

This the divine Cecilia found,

And to her Maker's praise confin'd the souud.

When the full organ joins the tuneful choir,

Th' immortal pow'rs incline their ear ;
Borne on the swelling notes our souls aspire,
While solemn airs improve the sacred fire :

And Angels lean from heav'n to hear.
Of Orpheus now no more let poets tell,

To bright Cecilia greater pow'r is giv'n ;
His numbers rais'd a shade from hell,

Her's lift the soul to heav'n.

Pope : Ode for music, on S. Cecilia's day.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

CARDINAL PAUL EMILIUS SFOXDRATO. HIS DEVOTION TO ST. CECILIA.
HIS DISCOVERY OF HER BODY.

Paul Emilius was born at Milan, 1561. His father,
Paul SfondratOj was a brother of Gregory XIV ; his

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 263

mother, whose name was Sigismund, "belonged to the
family of Este. In his youth, Paul showed the hap-
piest dispositions, and when old enough to choose a
state of life, at once gave preference to the Church.
He came to Eome at an early age, and spent some time
in the house of the Oratorian Fathers, at St. Maria, in
Yallicella, where he had the happiness of becoming
acquainted with St. Philip Neri. The ardent piety
of young Sfondrato was stimulated by the society of
this illustrious servant of God, and in his interviews
with the holy old man, he imbibed that charity to-
wards the poor, that zeal for the adornment of the
sanctuary, and that fervent devotion towards the
martyrs, which were his principal characteristics
throughout life. Gregory XIV., who was made Pope
on the 5th of December, 1590, created his nephew,
Paul Emilius, Cardinal, on the 19th of the same month,
a promotion which was universally applauded. The
young Prelate, then twenty-nine years of age, was
absent from Eome when he received the news of his
elevation. He hastened to his uncle, who had always
appreciated his virtue, and who now admitted him at
once into his councils. Eome was at this time in-
tensely interested in the affairs of France. A Cal-
vinist prince had claimed the crown ; he had been
vigorously opposed by the League, but the decisive
battle of Ivry which had taken place immediately
after the death of Sixtus V., had rendered further
resistance vain. Urban VII., had reigned but thir-
teen days. Gregory XIV., supported by his nephew,
Paul Emilius, responded to the cannons of the vic-
torious Henry by fresh anathemas. But after a short

264 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Pontificate, he was called to his reward. He wag
succeeded by Innocent IX., who reigned but two
months. The cause then passed into the vigorous
hands of Clement VIII.

The death of Gregory XIV. restored to his nephew
the leisure he so much coveted, and with increasing
ardor, he devoted himself to works of piety and
mercy. His uncle had magnificently provided him
with rich benefices, but he did not make use of them
to surround himself with the luxuries which his ele-
vated position rendered perfectly justifiable. His
palace, void of hangings or tapestry, proved that he
preferred to clothe the poor of Jesus Christ. The
Pontifical Court admired this prince of the Church,
who never suffered any but earthen vessels to be
placed on his table, that he might be enabled to feed
a greater number of poor. Such was Sfondrato, when
at the very pinnacle of honor; such he remained
during his whole life.* Two objects engrossed his

* Amelot de la Houssaye, editor of the letters of Cardinal
d'Ossat, ambassador from Henry IV. to Clement VIII., mentions
in the notes of this book, different testimonies of the profound
esteem in which Sfondrato was held at the Roman court. Ac-
cording to the expression of Delfini, the ambassador from Venice
to the Holy See, this cardinal walked in the footsteps of Car-
dinal Borromeo. (Lettres de d'Ossat, tome v., p. 304). Cardinal
Bentivoglio, in his memoirs, gives a still more precious and de-
tailed account of the virtues of Sfondrato in his private life, and
also attests the great veneration he enjoyed. (Ibid., tome i.,
page 89). D'Ossat, who well understood human nature, speaks
with admiration in his correspondence of the firmness of Sfon-
drato when, in an assembly of cardinals, he alone, of all the
Sacred College, refused to give his vote for the prcmiotion of
Sylvester Aldobrandini to the cardinalate. This nephew of
Clement VIII. was but fourteen years of age, and Sfondrato

LIFE OF 'SAINT CECILIA. 265

generous soul: 1st. To glorify Christ in His tri-
umphant members. 2d. To soothe Christ in Ilia
suffering members. Sfondrato studied this lesson fti
the school of St. Cecilia. Gregory XIV., in elevating
him to the purple, placed in his hand as a pious in-
heritance the Church he had himself held, that of our
illustrious martyr, who, during her life had been
so full of compassion for the poor ; so zealous in
burying the champions of the faith. It was reserved
for Sfondrato to walk in Paschal's footsteps; Christ
destined him to place a much more brilliant crown
upon the brow of his Spouse than she had received
in the ninth century from the hands of a Pontiff.
Sfondrato took possession of the title of St. Cecilia on
the 25th of January, 1591. The ceremony, was pom-
pous and solemn, notwithstanding the raging of a
violent storm, accompanied by thunder and torrents
of rain, which being unusual at that season, might
well have thrown a gloom over the brilliancy of the
festival. The new cardinal paid his respects to the
abbess and her community in the parlor ; he spoke
of his veneration for their Church, and added, with
charming simplicity, that if he had felt any desire
for the purple, it was only that he might become
titulary of St. Cecilia. The result will prove the
cardinal's sincerity.* About this time Sigismondo
d'Este, mother of Paul Emilius, came to visit Borne,

fearlessly quoted to the Pontiff that canon of the Council of
Trent, (Sess. xxiv.) which requires the same age, learning, and
qualities for cardinals as for bishops. (Lettres de d'Ossat,
tome v., page 317).

* Archives of St. Cecilia. Croniche del venerabile monastero
di S. Cecilia.

23

266 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

accompanied by the cardinal's sister and sister-in-law,
and several ladies of the family. They visited the
Church of St. Cecilia, and treated the religions with
the greatest affability. Not satisfied with conversing
with the abbess and sisters in the parlor, they begged
to kiss their hands. It was therefore necessary to
admit them into the interior of the monastery, which
was immediately done. During this interchange of
mutual charity, Sfondrato's mother remained upon
her knees, through respect for the Spouses of Christ.
Thus did all this family testify their affection for our
illustrious Saint, by the respect which they showed
to the consecrated virgins who guarded her sanctuary.
Sfondrato felt that the Basilica which had been re-
stored to the abbess by Maura Magalotta, sixty years
previous^, required some repairs ; and, moreover,
he did not consider it sufficiently handsome. He
undertook a general restoration, and without destroy-
ing the antique and venerable character of the edi-
fice, he threw over it that air of splendor so well
suited to the Churches of Eome. Sfondrato's first
thought was to enrich the Basilica with the numer-
ous and important relics which he had collected,
frequently through the mediation of his uncle. They
were contained in a number of silver and silver gilt
caskets; and that he might preserve them more
worthily, he conceived the idea of placing them under
the altar of the Confession. But the accessible space
between the altar and the mysterious region of the
tombs, was not sufficiently large to contain this pre-
cious deposit. The cardinal decided to enlarge the
place, and, eagerly desiring to find Cecilia's body,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 267

he resolved to pierce through the thick stone wall
upon which the altar rested. He th ought with reason
that the tomb could not be far from the entrance;
and, moreover, he knew that the opening in front of the
altar must correspond with Cecilia's sepulchre, since
formerly the faithful by means of this opening lowered
pieces of linen to touch the tomb. In the expectation
of a discovery which was to prove the consolation
and glory of his life, Sfondrato ordered the workmen
to labor only in his presence, commanding them to
suspend their operations when he was forced to leave
the Basilica.*

Finally on Wednesday, the 20th of October, 1599,
the Cardinal commanded that the pavement should
be taken away from before the altar. They then
cleared away the ground from around the stones, and
loosened the foundations of the wall which covered
the subterranean enclosure. After making with
much effort an opening in the thick wall, the space
under the altar was clearly seen. Two sarcophagi
of white marble, placed side by side, three feet below
the ground, at once struck Sfondrato's eye. These,
two tombs were directly under the altar. Transported
with holy joy, tlie Cardinal determined, before open-
ing the tomb, to send for some reliable witnesses.
He immediately despatched messengers for the Bishop
of Isernia, Vicegerent of the Cardinal Vicar, James
Buzzi, Canon of the congregation of Lateran, and
Fathers Peter Alagona and Peter Morra, of the
Society of Jesus. They soon arrived, accompanied

* All these details, and those which follow, may be found in
Bosio's interesting; relation of the finding of Cecilia's body and
those of her companions.

268 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

by several members of the Cardinal's household.
After again examining the place, they hastened to
open the first tomb, that which was nearest the sub-
terranean entrance. The workmen having removed
the marble slab which covered it, a cypress coffin
was seen inside, four feet, three inches in length,
thirteen inches in width, and seventeen high. There
was no appearance of a lock, and the upper lid was
not even fastened with nails. It was very thin, and
opened and closed by means of a groove. For some
time, Sfondrato and his assistants w r ere uncertain how
to open this sacred coffin, which they were sure con-
tained the body of St. Cecilia. Finally, the Cardinal
himself discovered the proper means, and, with
trembling hands, respectfully removed the frail obsta-
cle which concealed the virgin's body from his eyes.

It was a solemn moment. After eight centuries
of obscurity and silence, Cecilia appeared once more
to the faithful of Christ, in the ineffable majesty of
her martyrdom. The interior of the coffin was
covered with the same damask, although somewhat
faded, w r ith which Paschal had lined it.* Time had
respected the thin veil w T hich the Pontiff' bad thrown
over her bod) r , and through this tr»sparent texture,
the gold with which her dress was embroidered,
sparkled with brilliancy. f

* Aperta capsa circumornata undique apparuit intus textili
quodam sericae quam vulgo appellant saiae similitudinem refer-
ente, coloris ex viridi et rufo permixti, cujus tamen nitorem
temporis longiuquitate obiuscatum agnosceres. Hoc illud est
textile, de quo sic Bibliothecarius in Paschali, dum dona quae
is Pontifex huic Eccleske contulit, recenset : Fecit in arcella,
ad corpus jam dictce Virginis vest em de quadrupulo cum periclisin.
Bosio. Relatio inventionis et repositionis S. Caiciiice et Sociorum.

f Intra banc capsam beatae Caeciliae Virginis corpus extabat

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 269

Who can describe the joy of these Catholic hearts
to whom heaven had granted the favor of being the
first to salute upon her triumphal couch, the martyr
of the third century, who, in these tempestuous days,
was revealed to the Eoman Church, as if to encour-
age her in her conflict with error, and to give to
her children, a sure pledge of the reward that awaited
those who should fight courageously until the end.
Those heroes of Catholicity, who had so lately shed
their blood in England,* in Holland, f and even on
the seas, J were also sleeping in the tomb, and Cecilia,
rising from the grave, not only wished them peace,
but proclaimed by her example, the truth of that
oracle of the Psalmist : " The Lord keepeth the bones
of His servants, not one of them shall be lost. r §

All were eager to gaze nearer on the mortal re-
mains of the Spouse of Christ. Sfondrato, with pro-
found veneration, raised the veil, and exposed to
view, the treasure confided to the tomb by Urban
and Paschal. The martyr was clothed in her antique
robe, embroidered with gold, upon which the glori-
ous marks of her virginal blood were still apparent;!
at her feet was the linen stained with the purple of
her martyrdom.^" She was lying upon her right side,

serico, atque fusco coopertum velo, subterque velum vestes
aurese virginei sanguinis notas respersse, fugaci tenuique fulgore
translucebant. Bosio. Relatio invent to nis et repositionis S. Ccs-
citiaz et Sociorum.

* Under Henry VIII. and Elizabeth.

f The martyrs of Grorcum.

t F. Ignatius Azvedo and bis thirty-nine companions.

§ Psalm xxxiii., 21.

|| Vestes aurese virginei sanguinis notis reapers*, Relatio
Relatio, find.

H Insuper ad pedes sacrati corporis linteamiiiuui glomttfl jaoo-

270 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

and seemed to be in a profound sleep.* The neck
still bore the marks of the wounds made by the lie-
tor's sword ; f the head, by a mysterious and touch-
ing curvature, was turned towards the bottom of the
coffin.^:

The body was found perfectly entire, whilst the
graceful and modest figure of the saint, preserved so
miraculously after so many centuries, vividly re-
called the martyr breathing her last sigh upon the
pavement of her Caldarmm. The spectators were
transported in spirit to the day when Urban had re-
closed the coffin, without disturbing the attitude
which the virgin had chosen to yield up her soul to
her immortal Spouse.§ They also admired Paschal's
prudence in leaving the body just as he had dis-
covered it, and thus preserving so grand a spectacle
for posterity.]!

bat convolutorum, ilia nimirum quae ipse Paschalis in litieris
Inventionis suae commemorat. Bosio. Relatio etc.

* Jacebat id corpus in dexterum incumbens latus, paululum
contractis cruribus, brachiisque ante projectis. Bosio, Ibid.

| Corpus S. Csecilise adliuc intactum, serica viste auro texta,
vulnerum cicatricibus apparentibus, Clemens Papa VIII., in ar-
gentea urna sub ara maxima collocari curavit. Fonseca De Basi-
lica S. Laurentii in Damaso, page 285.

J Cervice autem valde reliexa, facieque ad humum proctrm-
bente, dormientis instar. Bosio. Ibid.

§ Earn ut crcdi potest formam retinens, in qua post trinam
percussionem, cui triduum supervixit, animam Deo reddens
conciderat, fueratque pariter in Ccemeterio ab Urbano Pontifice
collocatum. Bosio. Ibid.

|| The cypress coffin must have been the identical one in
which St. Urban buried Cecilia. It is very certain that it would
have been impossible, in the ninth century, to transfer the mar-
tyr's body to so narrow a coffin, without disturbing her attitude
or even.disjoini/ig her limbs. Anastasius, in relating the marks

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 271

They next proceeded to open the second sarcoph-
agus ; it was contiguous to that of Cecilia, but buried
deeper under the altar, towards the apsis. In it were
found three bodies, lying side by side, each wrapped
in a shroud. The first was placed with the feet to-
wards the right side of the altar ; the head had been
taken away. The second with the feet towards the
left side of the altar ; the head was with the body,
although severed from it. The third, with the head
attached to the body, was in the same position as the
first.*

It was easy to recognize Valerian, Tiburtius, and
Maximus, in this imposing triumvirate of Martyrs.
In the first place, Paschal's inscription enumerated
the three bodies which he had interred near Cecilia.
The absence of the head, in the one occupying the
first place, left no doubt that the body belonged
to Tiburtius, whose head, as we have stated, was

of honor paid by Paschal to Cecilia, only mentions the material
with which he lined her coffin, proving evidently that the latter
was not new, and therefore only needed ornamenting. The
small size of the cypress coffin is easily explained by the neces-.
sity of placing it in one of those narrow cells, where the bodies
of the martyrs were frequently deposited without coffins. The
very fact of a coffin in a marble sarcophagus, would be a sufficient
proof that it existed before Paschal's discovery of the body.
The bodies of Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus, were also in a
sarcophagus, but they were laid upon their backs, simply
wrapped in shrouds. So were those of Sts. Urban and Lucius.
The learned Protestant writers, Platner, Bunsen, etc, in their
great work upon Rome, (Beschreibung der Stadt Rom. vol. iii.,
part iii. page 641.) find no difficulty in dating the Saint's atti-
tude to the first sepulture; we think we have fully demon-
strated that the cypress coffin was equally old
* Bosio. Rdalio, etc.

272 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

preserved in a casket in the Basilica.. 4 The second
was undoubtedly the body of Cecilia's husband, and
there was such a striking resemblance between the
bones of the two martyrs, that it was evident the
brothers had suffered death at almost the same agef
There was no doubt that the third body was that of
Maximus. This notary of Almachius had not been
beheaded, but had been beaten to death with loaded
whips. His skull bore evident traces of this punish-
ment. It was fractured in several places, and strange
to say, the martyr's brown hair, clotted with blood,
was entirely preserved, as if our Lord had willed to
accomplish literally in him, the promise he has made
to his Athletes. M Nb one of your hairs shall be
lost."} The skeleton of MaiJmus proved that he
was much taller than the brothers, and his head
adhered so firmly to his body, that when Sfondrato,
at a later period, wished to remove it, he had great
difficultv in doing: so.S

Tl^e sepulchre of Popes Urban and Lucius, was
not discovered on that day. Sfondrato knew from
Paschal's document, that he was near the two others,
but he was eager to return to Cecilia's tomb, to

* Corpus sancti Tiburtii ab illo sancti Valeriani eo argurnento
recognituin est. quoniaru sancti Tiburtii corpus capite carebat,
cum foris in Ecelesia proprio in taberuaculo conservaretur. ut
creditur ab ipso Pasehali Papa sublatum. Bosio. Rclatio, etc.

t Corpus dein.de sancti Valeriani distinctum est a Sancti Max-
im i, ex eo quod inventum est illius caput a trunco corporis df-
vuJsum. quod ei gladio recisum fuerat. magnitudine quoque. et
formae proportione capiti Sancti Tiburtii it a simile, ut duorum
pari fere state fratrum esse videreiitur. Bosio. Relatlo, etc.

% Luke xxi. IS.

§ Contra vero Sancti Haximi, qui non capite plexus, sed ad
Decern plumbatia cx-sus fuerat. repertom est caput iia cum cor-

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. ♦ 273

whom the glory of this second Invention, as well as
that of the first, principally belonged.

He ordered the cypress coffin to be removed from
the marble sarcophagus, and carried with lighted
candles to a place adjoining the church and monas-
tery, generally used for hearing the confessions of
the nuns. A wooden chest had been hastily pre-
pared, covered with silk and closed by a lock.
Sfondrato deposited therein the cypress coffin, con-
taining the precious treasure which he valued so
highly ; he then locked the out side chest, and sealed
it with his seal. A platform was erected upon
which the body of Cecilia was placed, on an even
line with the grated window looking into the church,
at the extremity of the lateral nave, on the left as
you enter the church. * The news of so important a
discovery spread quickly through Eome and excited
the greatest enthusiasm.

CHAPTER XXIX.

SFONDRATO ACQUAINTS CLEMENT VIII., WITH THE DISCOVERY OP CECI-
LIA'S BODY. JOY OF THE PONTIFF. BARONIUS COMES TO IDENTIFY
THE HOLY RELICS.

Sfondrato did not wish to proceed further, or to
consummate the Invention of the martyrs, without
inviting the Sovereign Pontiff* to identify this sacred

pore conjunctum, ut cum ipse Cardinalis tollere illud vellet, ut
extra simul cum aliis Sancti Valeriani, et Tiburtii publico in al-
tari colcretur, magno id conatu et labore perfecerit. Ostendebat
etiam idem caput percussionum, quas ex plumbatis acceperat
Hotas, et fractionis signa, licet formam integram retineret, in quo
subilava quoque caesaries quasi viventis, er omne capillanientum
repersa sanguine incerrupta ccruebantur. tiosio. Rclatio, p. 311.

274 LIFE OP SAINT CECILIA.

deposit. Following the example of John, who, run-
ning faster than Peter, and arriving first at the Sepul-
chre, nevertheless abstained from entering, so Sfon-
drato, through deference for the Chief of the Apostolic
College, after giving suitable orders, started for
Frascati where Clement VIII. bad-gone to enjoy the
country air. Baronius was with the Pontiff. He
will give his own narration of the great event.

11 Clement was confined to his bed with a violent
attack of gout, and admitted no one to an audience ;
but as soon as he heard the motive of Sfondrato's
arrival, he immediately requested to see the Cardinal,
and hear from his own lips, the account of this
wonderful discovery. The Pontiff listened to the
recital with extreme joy, and was deeply grieved
that he was unable, on account of his illness, to go
immediately and pay his respects to the great martyr.*
Now it happened that this disappointment turned to
my advantage, for, notwithstanding my unworthiness,
the Pontiff commissioned me to identify and venerate
the body of St. Cecilia. Without loss of time, Sfon-
drato immediately set out for Eome ; I accompanied
him, and the same evening, we reached the Church of
St. Cecilia.

" I saw the $y press coffin which had been enclosed
in the marble sarcophagus. It contained Cecilia's
body, and was closed with a very thin and somewhat
inj ured cover. I gazed with admiration at the simple
wooden coffin so perfectly preserved after having been
buried in the earth for eight hundred and seventy

* Ex eo tamen doluit et ingemuit, quod eo detineretur ex mala
valetudine impedimento, et non valeret ad invisendam et salu-
tandani tantain Martyrein pioperare. Baronius. Annal. ad an-
num &21.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 275

eight years, where neither light nor air could pene-
trate, and constantly exposed to decay from the
humidity of the marble in which it was enclosed.
It was so solid that it could be touched and even
handled without being in the least injured. The
cover was likewise so perfect that for several days
the coffin was continually opened and closed to
satisfy the devotion of those who wished to see and
venerate the holy Martyr."

" Having fully examined and admired the shrine,
we wished to see the sacred body which it inclosed.
Then were verified the words of David : L As we have
heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of
hosts in the city of our God.' "*

We found Cecilia's body in precisely the same
condition in which it was when Pope Paschal dis-
covered and buried it. At her feet, the blood-stained
linen ; the dress of silk and gold, which the Pontiff
described, perfectly recognizable, although somewhat
impaired by time.f

" We remarked other light silken textures upon the
body, their depression aided us in perfectly distin-
guishing the beautiful cumbent figure so modestly
and gracefully distended. We were struck with ad-
miration to see that the body was not stretched out
in the coffin, as the bodies of the dead generally are.
The chaste virgin was lying upon her right side as
if gently sleeping on a couch, her knees modestly

* Ps. xlvii. 9.

f Etenim ut a Paschali Papa inventum et reoonditum fuisse
legimus venerandum Csecilia) corpus, ita iuvenimus, uempe ad
pedes ejus qua? fuerant, madida sanguine vela, » i t seiica tilaauro
obdueta quae vis ebantur, jam vetustate solu® vestis illiua auro
textoB oujus idem Paschal is meminit, indices erant. Baronius,
A n no 1. ad annum 821.

276 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

joined, "her whole appearance inspiring such, respect,
that notwithstanding our pious curiosity, no one ven-
tured to touch her.^Every one was deeply moved
with veneration, as if her heavenly Spouse, watching
over her sleep, had uttered these words: 'I adjure,
you that you wake not my beloved till she please.'*

" We saw, we recognized, we venerated.f The next
morning we offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
upon the altar of the Confession, in memory and in
honor of this glorious Virgin Martyr and the other
Saints buried near her. We then returned to Fras-
cati, and reported all we had seen to the sovereign
Pontiff. Clement listened with satisfaction, and im-
mediately commenced to make arrangements for the
translation of this august body to her Confession, a
ceremony which he declared he alone would perform
to the exclusion of any other prelate, no matter how
eminent his dignity. The Feast of St. Cecilia was
the day appointed for the translation."^:

We will discontinue the recital of this great an-

* Alia vero supra Martyris corpus serica, levia tamen velami-
na posita, ipsaque depressa situm ipsum et habitudinem cor-
poris ostendebant. Visebaturque (quod admiratione dignum
erat) non ut assolet in sepulehro resupinum positum corpus,
sed ut in lecto jacens bones tissima virgo supra dextrum cubare
latus, contractis nonnibil ad modestiam genibus, ut dormientis
imagineni reddere potius quam defunctce, ipso ita ad insinuan-
dam in omnibus virginalem verecundiam composito situ corporis:
adeo ut (quod seque mirandum) nemo quamvis curiosus in-
spector ausus omnino fuerit virgineum illud detegere corpus
reverentia quandam inenarrabilii repercussus, perinde ac si
coelestis Sponsus assisteret vigilans custos dormientis sponsae,
monens et minans : Ne suscitetis neque evigilare faciatis dilec-
tam donee ipsa velit. Annal. ad annum 821.

f Vidimus, cognovimus et adoravimus. Ibid.

X Baronius. Annal ad annum 821.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 277

nalist, and beg our readers to consider with us one
of the most touching characteristics of the Catholic
Church, so divinely manifested in the scenes we have
already related, and those which are yet untold. A
statesman of our day has remarked, that " Catholicity
is the greatest school for respect upon earth ;" we
will add that religion, as it is taught and practised
in the Catholic Church, is the inexhaustible source
of the most elevated and noble emotions which man
can experience. From it flow the many acts of de-
votedness, the many generous sacrifices, and the noble
enthusiasm characteristic of the Catholic Church.
Would you know whence she derives her marvellous
power ? Doubtless from the doctrine and example
of our Saviour, who, since His ascension to heaven,
has been pleased to reproduce in his Saints the ad-
mirable virtues He himself practised. Hence that
love, that continual remembrance in the Church, of
the heroes she has produced. Hence the ever old
and always new development of charity which is
unceasingly going on within her. The Saints live
with God in a blessed eternity ; and the Church in
this valley of tears continually feels their protection.
Therefore she unceasingly loves them, rejoices in
honoring them, and in proposing them to our imita-
tion. If we cling to our departed friends with that
love which the Scripture says is stronger than death,*
how great must be the confidence of the Church in
the intercession of the Saints, who are now far more
tenderly interested in each one of her children, and
far more powerful to aid them than when they were

* Cant. viii. 6.

24

278 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

themselves sojourning in this vale of tears. Behold
Clement VIII. the austere old man, who during two
entire years had refused to the triumphant Henry of
Navarre the absolution which through the medium
of his ambassadors, he implored upon his knees.
Behold this Pontiff, who inherited all the energy of
his predecessors, and unshrinkingly bore the weight
of the tiara at the very time when so many pro-
vinces of Europe were separating from the Church ;
behold his great soul filled with joy on hearing that
the remains of a Christian lady of the third century
had been discovered! As soon as his strength per-
mitted, he repaired in person to venerate the precious
relic. He watered it with tears of joy and emotion ;
he esteemed among the greatest events of his ponti-
ficate the translation of Cecilia's coffin to a splendid
casket, to purchase which he almost exhausted the
papal treasury.

Such a spectacle is incomprehensible to those not
initiated in Catholicity, but can any thing more
strikingly show the veneration of the Church toward
those who have carried the practice of virtue even to
heroism ? After the lapse of six centuries, Paschal
rivals St. Urban, in his respectful tenderness towards
the virgin, and eight centuries later, the daughter of
the Cecilii finds the same pious affection in the heart
of Clement. Add to this, that the sepulture given to
the virgin by Paschal was much more solemn than
that she received from Urban's hands ; and that the
enthusiasm manifested at the last translation of her
body, far exceeded that shown in the ninth century,
w^hen her Basilica was restored by Paschal.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 279

Now, however, the Eeformation was triumphing ;
memorials which had been cherished for centuries,
were trampled under foot ; the bones of the saints
were thrown into the highways, because they re-
called too vividly the example of those sublime vir-
tues which were so uncongenial to a century emanci-
pated from the superstitions of popery. Nevertheless,
Eome, the capital of the Christian world, cursed by
so many nations, and called the Prostitute of Babylon,
was agitated with as deep a joy on hearing that the body
of a young Eoman matron, martyred under Alexan-
der Severus, had been discovered, as if she had been
told that a treasure, sufficient to enrich each of her
inhabitants, had been suddenly revealed. And why
was this? Because this young Eoman virgin, who
had been buried for so many centuries, was the
model of a purity worthy of Angels, of an inviolable
devotedness to the God to whom she had consecrated
herself, of an ardent zeal for the salvation of souls,
of tender charity for the poor, of invincible firmness
in confessing the faith which elevates human nature,
of courage in twice braving death, and, finally, of
that inexpressible charm resulting from the sublime
virtue of Christian virginity.

Such were in the third, the ninth, and the sixteenth
centuries, and such will be to the end of time, Ceci-
lia's claims to the love of Christians. Past genera-
tions loved her, because, by her example, she
traced out for them the path which leads to a
better world; and now, at the close of an heretical
century, she suddenly reappears, as if to re-enkindle
the spark of heavenly fire, almost extinct upon earth

280 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

How could Catholicity resist such an appeal? Is it
astonishing that the Father of the Faithful, the Su-
preme Head of that Church, so sadly decimated by
heresy, should welcome with joy, and salute with
gladness one of its most noble and privileged
daughters ? Is it astonishing that the pious and
learned Baronius should have laid aside his immortal
pen, to hasten to Cecilia's tomb, whence the glorious
martyr was silently proclaiming to the worid that
the Church of Clement VIII. is the Church of
Urban, because it is the Church of Jesus Christ ?
Is it surprising that the wealthy and generous Sfon-
drato henceforth devoted his zeal and his riches to
adorning Cecilia's temple, when we consider that
the object of this holy profusion was to encourage
Catholics to practise those virtues which form the
eternal crown of the virgin martyr ? This pomp,
these gifts, and honors, the transports of the entire
city, from the venerable old man who wore the tiara,
down to the most humble of his subjects, could not
indeed restore to the Church, the half of Germany,
which had fallen a victim to heresy, nor England,
Sweden, Denmark, and the Swiss Cantons now alien-
ated from the Church, which had been their common
Mother for centuries. But they attested that even in
this fearful crisis, holiness, purity of life, and the
heroism of devotedness, were as much respected in
Eome, as they had ever been. The time will come
when the misguided nations that have seceded from
the Faith, fatigued with doubts and incredulity, will
turn towards the only country where the Ideal of
virtue can never be lost, since it is placed upon the
altar.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 281

CHAPTER XXX.

SFONDRATO'S PREPARATIONS FOR THE TRANSLATION OF CECILIA'S
BODY. VENERATION OF CLEMENT VIII. FOR THE ROMAN VIRGIN.

On his return to Frascati, Sfondrato caused a new
search to be made in the hopes of finding the tomb
of the holy Popes, Urban and Lucius. It was soon
discovered; Paschal had placed it under the sar-
cophagus which contained Cecilia's cypress coffin.
The two Pontiffs were laid side by side, the former
with his head turned towards the right of the altar,
whilst the latter was turned towards the left. Each
body was wrapped in a shroud. Sfondrato venerated
with profound respect, the sacred remains of these mar-
tyr Popes, one of whom had been Cecilia's director,
and her guest in the very house upon the ground of
which now rose the Basilica. These precious relics
were reserved to enhance the splendor of the festival,
which Clement had appointed for the 22d of Novem-
ber. But before this solemn day, Sfondrato deter-
mined to take measures to ensure to posterity a part
of the joy which he had experienced in contemplating
the Spouse of Christ in her mysterious sleep. He
therefore commissioned a skilful sculptor, Stefano
Maderno,* to immortalize with his graceful chisel,
Cecilia's attitude in her tomb. The design was made
with scrupulous exactness, and the brilliant young
artist, only twenty-four years of age, inspired by
* He was born in 1576. He sculptured many of the ma-niil-
cent bass reliefs in the Pauline Chapel at Bt. Mary Major,
among others, that which represents Pope Liberius, traoing
upon snow, the foundation of the Esquiline Basilica.

24*

282 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

such a subject, enriched Christian statuary with this
master-piece of grace and modesty which is one of
the principal glories of the trans-Tiberian Basilica.
He even represented the position of the martyr's
hands, which so touch ingly express her faith. Three
fingers of the right hand were extended to denote the
three Persons of the Holy Trinity ; and the fore-
finger of the left, held out to represent the unity of
the Godhead. Thus did even this symbolical sign
prove, after so many centuries, the belief for which
Cecilia had shed her blood. Notwithstanding his
great desire to take from this marvellous tomb, some
portion of its precious relics, Sfondrato's devotion
was too delicate to permit him even to think of touch-
ing the body which had been preserved entire by
Divine Providence during so many centuries.* He
wished to reserve it for the day when Cecilia, at the
sound of the angel's trumpet, would return to resume
her glorious body, w r hich virginity seemed already to
have stamped with immortality. The virgin appeared
anxious to reward Sfondrato's pious reserve. In
order to retain at least a memorial of the touching
spectacle which had greeted his eyes upon opening
the tomb, the Cardinal determined to take away some
of the blood-stained linen at Cecilia's feet. He dis-
tributed portions of this sacred linen to many of the
Cardinals residing in Eome, intending to reserve the

* Sfondrato veliementer optanti, precantique saepius aliquid
sibi reliquiarum ejus concedi, cum exsacro corpore nemo, ac ne
summus quidera Pontifex ob maximam reverentiam tollere ausus
esset, ultro de eodem illi particulam benigna Virgo obtulisse ac
donasse visa est. Bosio. Relatio invent, ct reposit, B, Cacilice*

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 283

last piece for himself. Now it "happened that a splin-
ter of a bone from Cecilia's head had adhered to the
piece which fell to his lot.* Hence, when looking
at this linen, which had been used in staunching the
virgin's wounds, the whole scene of the caldarium
was present to his mind. Cecilia's head, fractured
by the three strokes of the lictor's sword ; and the
trembling hand of some friend, who, though staunch-
ing these large wounds with the utmost gentleness,
could not prevent pieces of bone from coming away
with the blood. Sfondrato preserved, as a precious
jewel, this touching souvenir of the martyr, who had
bequeathed it to him at the very moment when her
sepulchre was again to be closed. He also wished as
a last consolation, to retain a fragment of Cecilia's
clothing. Without touching her silk tunic, he cut
off a small piece of her dress. It was probably at
this time that he discovered the secret of Cecilia's
penance ; for he declares that he felt upon her breast,
through her clothes, the knots of the hair shirt, which
like strong armor, had protected the virgin in her
combats, and which now shared her honors. f

* Nam cum ex linteaminibus tinctis sanguine, quae ad pedes
jacebant (sacra etenim ossa nee ipse quoque tangere audebat)
non nihil idem Cardinalis recidere vellet, quorum plerisque
aliis purpuratis Patribus particulce divisas fuerunt, ad cam
quam sibi recidebat partem sorte adluerescens virginei oranii
fragmentum accessit ; de quo conjici potest, quod oervici proxi-
muin esset ad triplicem ictum carniiicis pene reoisum fuisse ; ita
ut facile cum ejusdem vulnera linteaminibus illis, quemadmo-
dum in historia traditur, a fidelibus abstergerentur, ipsa abster-
sione in eis attralii, atque auferri contigerit, Bosio. lulntio, etc

f Bed et quemadmodum ipse Cardinalis se animadvert isst> tcs-
tatiir, sub aureis vestibua rigidum oilioii tegmen propiua Baoria
ossibus hajrescons latubat, do quo ita Acta passionis ejusdem

284 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

We have said that the head of St. Tiburtius had been
placed by Paschal in a casket, at the time of the first
Invention, in 821. Sfondrato, before closing the
tomb of the three martyrs, took away the heads of
Valerian and Maximus, that they might be exposed
in the Virgin's Basilica, with that of Tiburtius, to
the veneration of the faithful. Cecilia's coffin, as we
have said, was placed in a hall, situated at the upper
extremity of the left nave of the church, and could
be seen through a grated window which opened into
the Basilica. The platform and coffin were covered
with rich silk drapery, embroidered with gold.
Handsome candelabras, numerous lamps, gold and
silver flowers, added to the magnificence of the deco-
rations. No perfumes were burned near the body,
because, as the reliable author from whom we gather
these details, tells us, a delightful odor of roses and
lilies, proceeding from the coffin, embalmed the sanc-
tuary in which it was placed.

Eome was in a tumult of joy at the news of so many
miracles. Two months had not yet elapsed since the
execution of the celebrated Beatrice Cenci, and the
emotions excited on that terrible day had not entirely
subsided. More pleasing impressions were about to
succeed those which had so violently agitated the
city on the 11th of September, when the Pontiff', in
his justice, ordered the execution of this beautiful
and noble Eoman lady. Never was a more striking
contrast offered to the sympathies of this ardent
people. Beatrice, expiating under the repeated blows

commemorant : Ccecilia vero subtus ad camera v.ilicio induta
desuper auro textis vestibus tcgebatur. Bosio. Relatio invent, et
reposit. B. Caciliic.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 285

of the executioner's axe, the parricide of which she
had been guilty, and imploring pardon of Heaven in
the presence of an immense crowd, which, infatuated
with her beauty, clamorously demanded her release;
Cecilia, innocent and pure, also struck several times
by the lictor's sword, camly expiring, surrounded by
her faithful friends, and leaving behind her a memory
of imperishable sweetness.

This double scene must have presented itself a
thousand times to the imagination of the Eoman
people, and if the death of Beatrice taught them how
a repentant sinner can die, Cecilia's death proved
how sweetly a soul, enamored with the love of Christ,
hastens to meet him, rejoicing in the cruel torments
of martyrdom. During the days which elapsed be-
fore the Translation, the concourse of people was
very great. It became even necessary to call upon
the Pontifical Swiss guard to maintain order in the
midst of this outpouring of the Eoman people upon
the trans- Tiberian region. More than once, SIbndrato,
who seemed to have taken up his abode in Cecilia's
house, was almost crushed by the crowd.

The young patricians and Roman princesses
hastened to pay their homage to one who had over-
come all worldly seductions; but nothing could
equal the joy of the nuns of St. Cecilia's monastery,
the guardians of this precious treasure. They
scarcely knew how to testily their gratitude at
having been permitted to gaze upon her body; but

by prayers, chants, and tears, endeavored to assure

Cecilia of the happiness caused by her presence in
their midst. Nearly all the Cardinals came to veuer-

286 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

ate the Spouse of Christ, and Clement VIII., having
at length recovered his health, hastened from Fras-
cati, to prostrate himself at her feet. Baronius has
thus related the interviews between Urban's suc-
cessor and the great martyr of the third century.

Clement, accompanied by the Cardinals, repaired
to the Church of St. Cecilia to visit and venerate the
sacred remains of this Virgin Martyr. The cover of
the coffin having been removed, the Pontiff saw and
venerated this body, worthy of the respect of angels.
He offered it a homage, far more valuable than gold
or precious stones; — prayers poured forth from an
overflowing heart, and tears of the tenderest emotion.*
He then celebrated the Sacrifice of Mass in honor of
the Martyr, and declared his intention of solemnizing
her approaching feast with all possible devotion.

* Ubi cum adesset, (Clemens), educto aperculo cupressinse
illius capsae, veneranduin quoque Auigelis sanctissiniae ipsius
corpus iis quae diximus (ut positum fuerat a Paschali Pontifice)
opertum velis vidit, et veneratus est, atque ei tunc quam sciret
omni auro, gemmisque esse gratiorem oblationem, preces ob-
tulit, una cum lacrymis oblationis cordis indicibus. Baronius, ad
an. 8-1, n° xxv.

The Pontiff's emotion on contemplating Cecilia's body, h an
additional example of that sensibility of which he gave many
touching proofs throughout his life. These tears of a stern old
man, whose soul was nevertheless full of tenderness, recall his
heart-breaking distress when forced to condemn the Cenci to
death. He absented himself from Rome on the day when Bea-
trice, her mother-in-law, and her brother, were to be executed.
Three discharges of cannon announced to him that these guilty
heads were about to fall under the sword of justice. The con-
demned knew that at this moment the Pontiff would extend
his hand to give them the Apostolic Indulgence for the hour
of death. No sooner was this paternal act accomplished, than
Clement VIII., fell senseless into the arms of his prelates.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 287

But Clement should be particularly admired for his
extreme modesty ; he would not consent to raise the
silken veil which enveloped the Virgin. The blood
which discolored the tomb, recalled too vividly that
chaste blush which is the guardian of virginal modesty.
He was quite satisfied with seeing the Virgin's body
through the veil which covered it, and with reading
the characters engraven near the sepulchre and pre-
served through so many centuries, by a dispensation
of Providence ; in a word, with finding every thing
conformable to Paschal's document.* Clement after-
wards venerated his holy predecessors, Urban and
Lucius, and the martyrs Valerian, Tiburtius, and
Maximus, whose tombs were opened for a moment in
his presence.

The Pontiff' would not be outdone in generosity by
a Cardinal, and he therefore determined to offer
Cecilia on the day of her Translation, a present
worthy of her and of the Apostolic See. As soon as
he had heard at Frascati, from Sfondrato and Ba-
ronius, the report of the discovery, he felt that it was
his duty to prove in some way, his veneration
towards the Virgin. At first, he resolved upon
ordering a gold casket to contain the Martyr's body;
but the two Cardinals dissuaded him, representing
to him that so rich an object, beneath an altar,

* Sed ejus plurimnm in eo commendata modestia fait quod in-
vitatus licet, noluit reductis velis, nudum Virginia corpus quan-
tumlibet exsiccatum inspicere, cui esse videretur loco ruboris
eustodi.s verecundiae vir^inalis, sanguis aspersus ; Batia ad (idem
esse scions, membra singula cognovisse persupposita vela, atque
vidisse a praedecessore inscripta Bepulohro atque descripta diplo-
mats signacula illcesa reperta, atque divinitus oonservata Uosio.
liclatio invent t et r epos it, 11. Ctectfue.

288 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

might excite cupidity. Clement, therefore, decided
upon a silver casket, in the form of a tomb, suffi-
ciently large to hold the cypress coffin.

The silversmith, charged with the commission,
was ordered to finish and present his work to the
Pope before the day appointed for the Translation.
He used two hundred and fifty-one pounds of silver,
and his price for his work and materials, was four
thousand three hundred and eighty gold crowns. The
casket was lined with purple silk ; the exterior
being studded with stars which gave it the appear-
ance of a new heaven, according to the poetical
expression of Baronius, who compares the artist to
Beseleel, the divinely inspired fabricator of the Ark
of Alliance and the Golden Candlestick.*

The design was quite simple, f four golden cheru-
bim were placed upon the corners of the upper part
of the casket. The arms of Clement VIII. with the
tiara and keys, all richly gilt, were in relievo on the
sides. This immense coffin was hermetically closed.
The lid bore this inscription.

CORPVS S. CJECILI^E VIRGINIS ET MARTYRIS

A CLEMENTE VIII. PONT. MAX. INCLVSM.

ANJSTO M. D. IC. PONTIF VIII.J

Whilst admiring this magnificent silver casket,
our thoughts naturally revert to the elegant, large,

* In qua elaboranda, instar Beselelielis inspirati divimtus eni-
tuit industria excellentis opificis, qui veluti alterum ccelam cor-
pori, cujus esset incoelo anima, fabricans, thecam illam stelli3
auri fulgore micantibus exornavit. Baronius, ad. an. 821, n° xxv.

t See the design in Bosio. page 168.

t The body of St. Cecilia. Virgin and Martyr, entombed here
by Clement VIII. in the year 1599, the 8th of his Pontificate.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 289

but empty sarcophagus of Cecilia Metella, left with-
out honor under the portico of a palace. This
wealthy lady had tasted of all the pleasures offered
by the world to its favorites, the monument erected
to her memory by Crassus, her husband, had for
centuries ornamented the Appian Way; but the
name of Cecilia Metella will never make the heart
throb; no one has ever expressed the slightest
anxiety respecting the fate of the bones which once
reposed in this sepulchre, now a mere object of
curiosity, whereas, the Christian Cecilia was sought
for with care in the vaults of the Catacombs, and
saluted with enthusiasm each time that her mortal
remains were brought to the light of day. The con-
trast between the two Cecilias is still more strikingly
shown by the symbols upon their sepulchres. The
sarcophagus of Cecilia Metella is exposed to the
inclemencies of the weather, its decorations awaken
no sentiment of piety in the soul. Two horses'
heads spring from the centre of the undulating
channels which adorn the tomb ; the upper part is
decorated with a severe and graceful frieze, sur-
mounted by foliage, under the shade of which some
animals are sporting; nothing to suggest the hope
of immortality, or even a pious thought ; it is mere
paganism in all its elegant coldness.

What a contrast to the tomb of the Christian
Cecilia! If Urban, in his paternal tenderness, could
only offer the Virgin and her narrow collin, an
honorable cell excavated in the * soft stone of the
Callistus Cemetery, Paschal prepared for her a mar-
ble sarcophagus ; and although he buried her in a

290 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

crypt under the altar of the Basilica, he enriched
the latter with elegant monuments, and took care
that posterity should know that beneath the sump-
tuous altar, Cecilia was resting in peace. Eight
centuries later, Clement VIII. deemed a marble
tomb unworthy of the cypress coffin; prudence for-
bade his encasing it in gold ; he therefore ordered a
silver casket to be prepared for the Christian daugh-
ter of the Cecilii. No vain ornaments enrich this
casket ; its decorations all speak to the beholder of
the life beyond the grave. Angels, whose presence
reminds us of Cecilia's angelic purity; brilliant
gold stars, emblematic of heaven ; the tiara and
keys, proving the humble and tender respect of the
Head of the Church to the virgin and martyr ; such
are the emblems which adorn Cecilia's tomb and
render it far preferable, in the eyes of Christians, to
the beautiful sarcophagus of Cecilia Metella. With
the artist and archaeologist, we admire the latter, as
one of the most remarkable among the monuments,
erected by the ancient Eomans ; but the silver casket,
containing the body of St. Cecilia, speaks to our
heart, and teaches us lessons which Christians alone
can understand and fully appreciate.

The sarcophagus, formerly prepared by St. Paschal,
was too small to contain both the coffin and casket;
Sfondrato therefore ordered a new white marble se-
pulchre to be substituted for the old one. The two
sarcophagi, containing, one the bodies of Saints Ti-
burtius, Valerian, and Maximus, the other, the holy
Popes Urban and Lucius, were left in the same
place in the Confession, the relics not being disturbed,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 291

with the exception of the two heads of which we
have spoken, and a few bones which Sfondrato took
away from each of these venerable bodies. He sent
the wooden box, in which the cypress coffin had been
enclosed from the day of its Invention to that of the
Translation, to the monastery of St. Paul at Milan ;
where two of his sisters and several other members
of his family, had consecrated themselves to God.

CHAPTEE XXXI.

TRANSLATION OF CECILIA' S BODY BY CLEMENT VIII.

The 22d of November at last arrived, and was
greeted by the Eomans with the greatest enthusiasm,
their joy being sensibly increased by the rumor of
the numerous miracles* which Cecilia had wrought
since the recent discovery of her body. In order to
avoid accidents, a papal edict was published, forbid-
ding the driving of carriages through the trans-Ti-
berian region, on the morning of the Translation.
The Basilica was adorned with magnificence worthy
of such a festival. The body of Cecilia, in her
cypress coffin, covered with a drapery of cloth of
gold, rested upon the altar, which had been enlarged
for the occasion. The light of a thousand torches
was reflected in the beautiful marble columns of the
ciborium, and in the enamel of Paschal's mosaics.
Clement VIII. escorted by tne Sacred College ard an
immense crowd arrived at the gates of Cecilia's pal-

* Bosio. Relatio inventionis. S. Ccrcilur, page 103.

292 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

ace. He immediately repaired to the sacristy, where
he blessed the casket; this was then carried to the
crypt, and laid open upon the white marble sarcopha-
gus, which was resting upon the tomb of Popes Ur-
ban and Lucius. Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus
awaited Cecilia, who was soon to resume her place
near them. The procession advanced towards the
altar, where the Holy .sacrifice of the Mass was to be
offered. Forty-two Cardinals, richly robed and
mitred, followed the Prelates. In this august
body, were Alexander de Medicis, who was destined
to govern the Church after Clement, under the name
of Leo XL ; Camille Borghese, who succeeded Leo,
as Paul V. ; Caesar Baronius, the historian of the
Church; Eobert Bellarmin, the conqueror of heresy,
who was one day to be placed on our altars. France
was represented by d'Qssat ; Literature, by Silvio
Antoniani ; Faith, Piety, and Charity to the poor, by
the dignitaries of the Church, among whom Paul
Emilius Sfondrato was the centre of attraction.

Clement, robed in his cope, and crowned with
the tiara, followed the Cardinals, walking under a
splendid canopy, supported by the ambassadors of
the Eepublic of Venice, and of the Duke of Savoy,
and by Eoman princes.

The French ambassador held up the cope, when
the Pontiff descended from the sedla gestatoria, and
directed his steps to the altar. The Holy Sacrifice
was celebrated with all the ceremonies used at St.
Peter's, when the Pontiff* officiates. The assistant
deacons were Cardinal Francis Sforza, and Cardinal
Alexander de Montalto, a nephew of Sixtus V.,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 293

whilst Cardinal Peter Aldobrandini, Clement's nephew,
filled the functions of deacon of the altar. The
Pope added the Collect of LUa. 'l lburtius, Valerian,
and Maximus, to that of Cecilia.

After the communion, according to the ancient
custom, they proceeded to the Translation of Cecilia's
body. Sfondrato descended first into the Presbyte-
rium, to be in readiness to receive the Virgin and the
Pontiff', at their entrance into the crypt. After the
Pope had incensed the body three times, four Cardi-
nal Deacons, Odoard Farnese. Antonio Facchinetti,
Peter Aldobrandini, and Bartholomew Cesi, raised
the cypress coffin from the altar, and, preceded by
deacons bearing the cross and seven gold candle-
sties, descended into the subterranean vault of the
Confession. During the ceremony, Clement laid his
hand on Cecilia's coffin, as if to take direct part in
the Translation. The members of the Sacred Col-
lege surrounded the Pontiff, and the choir chanted
the following anthem:

"0, beata Cgecilia, quae Almachium superasti, Ti-
burtium et Valerianum ad martyr ii coronam vo-
casti P*

The distance between the altar and the tomb was
very short. Clement, assisted by the deacons, de-
posited the virgin's coffin in the silver casket, and
then, receiving from Sfondrato a plate of the same
metal, upon which was engraved an account of this
last Translation, he placed it in the inside of the
casket. Finally, after again incensing the precious

* Happy Cecilia ! Thou didst triumph over Ahnachius ; Thou
didst call Tiburtius and Valerian to the crown of martyrdom.

25

294 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

relics three times, the Pontiff prostrated himself, and
with abundant tears and fervent prayers, bade adieu
to Cecilia in the name of the Church ; he then closed
the casket, and sealed, with his own seal, the marble
slab which was placed over the sarcophagus ; and
then, preceded and followed by his imposing retinue
he returned to the altar, where he recited the con-
cluding prayers of the Holy Sacrifice, and gave his
apostolic benediction to the people, who crowded the
church, the porch, and the adjacent squares and
streets. The concourse of the faithful continued
until night ; the day had been lovely ; the air balmy
as that of spring. Such weather, extraordinary for
the month of November, was the more remarkable,
as the preceding days had been cold and rainy. *

The following is the inscription, engraven upon
the silver plate presented by Sfondrato to be enclosed
in the silver casket.

" Hie requiescit corpus S. Caeciliae. Virginis et
Marty ris, quod a Paschali primo Pontifice Maximo
ipsa revelante repertum, et in hanc Ecclesiam transla-
tum, et sub hoc altari una cum corporibus SS. Mar-
tyrum Lucii et Urbani Pontificum, nee non Yaleriani,
Tiburtii et Maximi reconditum,

Iterum post annos fere DCCO. Clemente VIII.,
Pont. Max. cum iisdem Sanctis Martyribus lucem
adspexit, die xx. Octobris, anno Dominicae Incarna-
tionis M. D. IC. Cujus S. Virginis corpus prasdictus

* At populi frequentia deinceps ad nocteni usque affluere non
destitit, ccelo ipso obsecundante, quod, cum foedis imbribus per
dies proximos exundasset, eo die ita placidum ac serenum afiul-
sit, ut hybernus rigor in vernam temperiem versus esse videre-
tur. Bosio. Relatio inventionis corporis B. Ccecilice, page 167.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 295

D. N. Papa Clemens veteri lignea capsa, in qua jace-
bat, argentese inclusa, intactum immutatumque, hoe
eodem loco in quo fuerat collocatum, post peracta
Missarum solemnia, maxima cum devotione et lachry-
mis, toto spectante populo, reposuit, xxn. Novembris,
ipso festo Virginis die M. D. IC.

Ad cujus latus in alia seorsum capsa praedicti tres
Martyres, Valerianus, Tiburtius et Maximus requies-
cunt ; nee non sub ipso Virginis corpore in alia simi-
liter area praedicti duo Martyres, ac Pontifices Lu-
cius et Urbanus, prout a Paschali Pontifice omnes in
iis conditi sunt.

Ego Paulus Tituli S. Caecilse S. E. B. Presbyter
Cardinalis Sfondratus, cui licet miserrimo peccatori
praedicta corpora, quae diuturnitate temporis fere in
tenebris jacebant, et invenire, et videre, et venerari
a Deo Optimo Max. datum est memoriam hanc hisce
litteris, consignavi. Anno Dominicae Incarnationis
M. D. IC. die xxn. Novembris, sedente Clemente
VIII. summo Pontifice, ejusdem Pontificatus anno
VIII."*

* Here reposes the body of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr,
discovered by Pope Paschal I. who transferred it. to this Church,
and buried it under this altar, with the bodies of the Holy Martyrs,
Lucius and Urban, Popes ; Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus.
Nearly eight centuries after, under the pontificate of Clement
VIII., the body of this holy Virgin was again discovered on the
20th of October, a.d. 1599, together with those of the same holy
martyrs. On the 22d of November, the same Pope, Clement the
VIII., after solemnly celebrating the Holy Sacrifice 04 the Mass,
restored, in presence of the people, and with great devotion and
many tears, the Virgin's body to the place it formerly OCOUpied.
He enclosed the coffin in a silver casket, and did not permit the
body to be disturbed. In an adjoining tomb, the three martyrs
Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus repose. Beneath the Virgin's

296 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

This short account, engraven upon a silver plate,
buried in St. Cecilia's tomb, was not sufficient for
posterity. The learned explorer of subterranean
Rome, Antonio Bosio, determined to commemorate
the last Translation of the Virgin's body, by publish-
ing a new edition of the Acts of St. Cecilia. After
having carefully collated the manuscripts of the
Basilica with those of the Vatican Library, of St.
Peter's Chapter, and of the Colonna Palace, he pub-
lished in the next year a new edition of the Acts,
accompanied with a number of notes. Ecclesiastical
archaeology has doubtless made much progress since
the time of Bosio, but this great man certainly merits
to share with Baronius, the glory of having been one
of the first to open the path of Christian erudition,
and of having been rarely surpassed therein.

Bosio added to the Acts of St. Cecilia, the famous
document of Paschal, which he enriched with many
important notes. He concluded his work with a
description of the last discovery of Cecilia and her
companions, and the ceremonies observed at the second
Translation. Bosio declares that he either witnessed
himself, or heard from Sfondrato's lips, all the facts
which he relates.* This work appeared in Rome,

body, and in another tomb, are the two martyrs, Popes Lucius
and Urban, in the very spot, where they were buried by Pope
Paschal. I, Paul Sfondrato, Cardinal Priest of the Holy Roman
Church, Titulary of Saint Cecilia, to whom although such a
miserable sinner, Almighty God deigned to grant the favor of
discovering, beholding, and venerating this holy body, which
time seemed to have buried in darkness, — I have drawn up this
inscription in remembrance of this event. The year of Our Lord,
1599, the 221 of November, under Pope Clement the VIII.— in
the eighth year of his pontificate.

* Hsec sunt, quas in postrema corporis B. Coeciliae Virginis,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 297

in 1600, with a dedication to the Cardinal, who him-
self wrote an attestation, by which he certified Bosio's
exactitude in the collation of the manuscripts, and his
strict adherence to truth in his account of the dis-
covery of the holy bodies.*

CHAPTER XXXII.

CONFIRMATION OF THE ACTS OF ST. CECILIA BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES
ATTENDING THE SECOND DISCOVERY OF HER BODY.

The few details left us by Paschal concerning the
first discovery of Cecilia's body, all tend to prove
the truth of her Acts ; these are now confirmed be-
yond all doubt by the circumstances attending the
second discovery of the martyr's precious remains.
First, we shall remark that the position of Cecilia's
body is very different from that of any other martyr
found in Eome or elsewhere. But when we recall
the manner and circumstances of her death, as related
in her Acts, the reason of this difference is obvious.

Sociorumque Martyrum detectione, ac solemni repositione acta
sunt, prout cum oculis nostris nos ipsi conspexirnus, turn ex ip-
sius Cardinalis Sfondrati, qui his omnibus diligenter astitit, ao
praefuit, fideli relatione cognovimus. Bosio. Relatio Invent, et
Reposit. corporis S. Cazcilice, page 170.

* Nos Paulus Tituli S. Cacciliae S. R. E. Presbyter Cardinalis
Sfondratus, lias Sanctissimae Virginis Caecilia?, ejusque Sociorum
vitas ex quamplurimis, iisque vetutissimis codicibus integraa ab
Antonio Bosio excerptas fuisse, necnon qua? do invent ione Corpo-
rum eorumdem Sanctorum ab ipso rcfcruntur, omnia ftdeliter,
sincere, atque ad veritatom conscripta esse testamur.

20*

298 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

As she lies there in her sarcophagus, we easily re-
cognize the Koman virgin, expiring on the floor of
her own pa] ace, shrinking with virginal modesty
from the gaze of those who came in crowds to witness
her triumphal death. Secondly, Sfondrato bears
witness to the hair shirt mentioned in the Acts, as
the armor with which the heroic virgin shielded her-
self from the seductions of an effeminate world. "We
say nothing of the gold-embroidered robe and the
bloody linen, for these are expressly mentioned in
Paschal's document. Thirdly, the stature of the
Saint, as determined in 1599, is a fresh pr^oof of the
correctness of her Acts. Bosio declares that her
body, as it lay in the cypress coffin, measured only
four feet. Of course allowance must be made for the
contraction of the limbs produced by pain and by
time, also for the position of the body, the knees being
slightly drawn up; but with all these allowances,
Cecilia's stature must have been below the middle
height. This accounts for her having been forced
to mount on a marble stand, when addressing the
soldiers of Almachius, that she might be heard by
all; it also accounts for the first exclamation of Al-
machius when she was brought before his tribunal :
11 Who art thou, child ?" (puella). But it is not only
in what concerns St. Cecilia that the discovery of
1599 attests the minute fidelity of the Acts. These
relate that Valerian and Tiburtius were beheaded.
Now one of the sarcophagi contained the bodies of
two martyrs who had evidently suffered death by
the headman's axe. The Acts state .that Almachius
was puzzled with regard to the respective tfges of the

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 299

brothers, and thirteen centuries later, their skeletons
were so strikingly alike that it would have been
impossible to distinguish one from the other, if each
body had not been wrapt in a separate shroud. The
Acts relate that Maximus was not beheaded, but
beaten to death with loaded whips ; now, in 1599,
the head of this martyr was found adhering to the
body, his skull fractured, and his hair clotted with
blood, thus proving by what kind of torment he
gained his heavenly crown. There is still another
circumstance of the greatest importance in this de-
monstration of the Acts of Saint Cecilia by archaeo-
logical details. Our readers have not forgotten the
oratory, opening upon one of the lateral naves of the
Basilica, on the right, as you enter the Church, and
designated under the name of St. Cecilia's Bath.
This sanctuary, which from time immemorial, had
been considered as an appendage of the Church,
and honored with a private altar, was a monument
of the kind of martyrdom suffered by the Saint,
according to her Acts. The existence of this sanc-
tuary moreover supports the assertion contained in
these Acts that St. Cecilia in dying bequeathed her
house to Pope St. Urban, to be converted into a
Basilica. There is no question here of one of those
public baths, established near some of the churches
in Eome and elsewhere, which were used by the
faithful for certain mysterious ablutions. This was
a sudatorium, used for vapor baths, totally different
from those taken by the Christians of the first cen-
turies in the sacred Thermae of the ohurohes, More-
over, this oratory was constantly honored by the

300 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

faithful. If we admit the veracity of the Acts, this
veneration is easily understood, and becomes a fresh
proof of the event which it commemorates. In the
course of time, the primitive character of this oratory
was totally destroyed by the numerous repairs made
at different periods ; so much so, that a few years
before the discovery of Cecilia's tomb, a Christian
archaeologist writing in Eome, expressed some doubts
as to the truth of the tradition which specifies this
sanctuary as the caldarium where the virgin had
suffered martyrdom.

Sfondrato determined to restore this venerable
place to its antique form, and ancient honors. Whilst
superintending the repairing and embellishing of the
Basilica, he ordered a search to be made under the
floor of this chapel which was found to be built upon
a vault. Shortly after, the hypocaust of a bath was
discovered. The apertures which had been closed,
were easily re-opened, and a large boiler was found,
with the remains of a leaden pipe, through which the
vapor had formerly ascended to the caldarium.
Sfondrato disposed the decorations of the chapel in
such a manner that the destruction of a memorial so
dear to his piety, should henceforth be an impossi-
bility. He caused iron gratings to be placed over
the openings, through which the pilgrims could look
into the hypocaust and distinguish the boiler which
had escaped the ravages of time. He cleared the
terra cotta pipes through which the vapor had passed,
as well as a leaden pipe, which, like the former, was
carried above the floor of the room ; both were pro-
tected by brass plates fastened to the wall. Nothing

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 301

was neglected to restore this venerable monument to
its original form — that of a sudatorium, the dimen-
sions of which were much smaller than those of the
ancient public hot baths, but in perfect accordance
with the private dwelling to which it had belonged.*

We have before mentioned that Sfondrato pre-
served, until his death, the small splinter of bone
which he had found adhering to the piece of linen
with which Cecilia's wound had been staunched. He
bequeathed it to his dear Basilica, and we have had
the happiness of holding in our hands this precious
pledge of the martyr's gratitude to her faithful ser-
vant. It is enclosed in a very elegant reliquary,
bronze gilt, in the form of a tower. It stands upon
a pedestal and is set with crystals.

In reviewing all these circumstances, brought to
light, and certified so many centuries after the events
to which they refer, is it not evident that they form
a most imposing demonstration in favor of the Acts
of St. Cecilia?

Would not such important archa3ological discov-
eries be more than sufficient to banish all doubt
respecting the truth of any recital handed down to
us by antiquity ? Would not all the academicians
of Europe agree in acquitting its author of the charge

* Platner and Bunsen find no difficulty in recognizing in this
chapel the Bath where Cecilia expired (Besohreibnng der Btadt

Rom. Tome iii. 3re partie, pages 04:5 and 0*44.) The fact of their
not seeing the boiler in the hypocaust, can be explained only
by an error which they might have easily avoided. The room
communicated with the furnace by two apertures ; the boiler
could only ho Been through that on the right. These learned
Germans may only have examined it through the aperture OB
the left, and seeing nothing, may have discontinued their search.

302 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

of falsehood brought against him ? Would they not
be unanimous in condemning preceding generations
for their injustice towards an author whose recital
they had taken no pains to verify? Such has been
the justification of the Acts of St. Cecilia. Their
truth has been incontestably proved by the great
discoveries of which we have spoken.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

SFONDRATO DISCOVERS THE BODY OF ST. AGNES. HIS PIETY TOWARDS
THE MOTHER OF GOD AXD THE SAINTS. HIS WILL AND DEATH.
HIS EPITAPH IN THE BASILICA OF ST. CECILIA.

The fervent piety of Sfondrato and his success in
discovering Cecilia's tomb, inspired him, some years
later, with the thought of trying to find the body of
St. Agnes in her Basilica outside the walls, on the
Nomentana road.

Martyred at the age of thirteen, under the Empe-
ror Diocletian, about seventy years after the death
of St. Cecilia, Agnes shares with her the homages
of Home and of Catholicity. Sfondrato was destined
to discover this new treasure, and to prepare a
worthy triumph for this heroic child whose pure life
and courageous death place her upon a level with
the daughter of the Cecilii.

Clement VIII. had yielded his great soul to God.
The pontificate of his successor, Leo XL, was very
short, and in 1605, the Apostolic Senate confided the
destinies of the Church to the powerful and faithful
hands of Paul V. Scarcely was the Conclave over,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 303

when Sfondrato who had generously determined to
restore at his own expense the Basilica of St. Agnes,
commenced his work ; he would not however permit
the architects to begin, until he himself had directed
a search for the relics of the holy martyr.

On Friday, the 7th of October, 1605, he repaired
to the Church of St. Agnes, accompanied by the
Chevalier Sasso-Ferrato, a gentleman of his house-
hold, and brother Nicostrato, an oblate of the monas-
tery of St. Peter, in Vincoli The presence of the
latter was necessary, as the Nomentana Basilica was
a dependency of the monastery of St. Peter. Sfon-
drato had considered it most probable that the main
altar of the Basilica covered the bodies of Saints
Agnes and Emerentiana, her foster-sister, and, like
her, a virgin and martyr. He presumed that Hono-
rius I. had deposited the sacred remains of both
saints in this place.

The altar was lined with slabs of white marble,
artistically inserted, one into the other, and the upper
part was covered with a large plate of porphyry, which
had not been removed since the seventh century.
The face of the altar, on the side of the grand nave,
was remarkable for the fenestella destined to receive
the lamps which burned in honor of the Saints ; the
other side, facing the apsis, was covered with a solid
slab of marble ; and this^ Sfondrato decided to re-
move.

After taking away the slab of porphyry which
covered the altar, the workmen endeavored to re-
move the marble tablet which was laid vertically on
the side of the heini cycle. It was only after repeated

304 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

efforts that they succeeded in taking away enough
cement to enable them to discern several white
marble tablets arranged as if to protect some pre-
cious relic under the altar. Encouraged by the
prospect of success, the workmen labored with in-
creasing diligence, and before the end of the day,
reached the tomb, which was built like a vault. But
the marble slabs were joined with such strong cement,
that it was almost impossible to break it. They
were obliged to bore several places with instruments
suited for the purpose. Through the apertures thus
made, they were enabled, with the assistance of a
light, to distinguish the bodies of the two virgins,
lying side by side, under the little vault which was
about five feet long. Night interrupted their labor.
Sfondrato and his companions, after returning thanks
to God for their success, retired, with the resolution
of resuming their search the next morning.

The following day, Saturday, 8th of October, the
Cardinal returned to the Basilica with the same per-
sons. They were accompanied by Stephen Benassai,
his auditor, Father Felix Veronico, Curate of
the church of St. Lawrence in Damaso, and a gentle-
man from Modena, named Crigino. By some fortu-
nate circumstance, Cardinal Aquaviva visited the
Basilica towards evening, and thus another impor-
tant witness was added to the number already present,
as if to render the Invention of the sacred bodies
still more solemn.

Intelligent and skilful workmen had been em-
ployed, but the cement was so solid that they were
obliged to labor from two o'clock in the afternoon,

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 305

until two o'clock at night, before they could open a
sufficiently large space to enable them to reach the
relics.

Finally, all obstacles being removed, Sfondrato
was enabled to feast his eyes upon the eagerly
longed-for treasure The martyrs were each laid
upon a tablet of white marble, supported at either
end upon an iron bar. These tablets, which had
been thus raised from the ground, to prevent the
effects of humidity, had been also pierced with a
number of holes, in order to give access to the air.
Three other tablets, similar to the first, were elevated
by iron bars above the holy bodies. The well-
cemented marble vault had protected this glorious
sepulchre for a thousand years.

The two virgins were lying on their backs, and
turned towards the East, according to the Christian
custom. The bones, which had rested directly upon
the marble, had remained solid and joined ; but the
other bones had crumbled into dust. Near the
figure on the right, they discovered a small quantity
of some substance which they easily recognized as
the coagulated remains of the blood collected by the
faithful. This enabled them to distinguish Agnes
from her companion. They also discovered near the
two bodies, a little earth, which had doubtless been
impregnated with their blood, and on this account,
placed in their sepulchre. Some fragments of a light
silken texture were found, which were evidently
remnants of their veils.

Although the night was already far advanced,
Sfondrato thought it would be very imprudent to

2li

S06 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

i

leave these holy relics exposed to the indiscreet
curiosity of those who would not fail to hasten to the
Basilica the next morning, to see the result of the
work which had been going on for two days. He
had previously ordered a wooden box lined with
purple silk embroidered with gold. With the assist-
ance of his auditor and Father Felix Veronico, he
deposited in this box the bones which had remained
entire, carefully distinguishing the precious remains
of the two martyrs. This operation required great
precaution, for the bones would have crumbled into
dust, if not very delicately handled. The box being
closed and sealed, was carried to an inner chapel of
the monastery adjoining the Basilica, and covered
with drapery. The dust of the bones, the remains
of coagulated blood, and the earth of which we have
spoken, were> carefully collected and placed in two
beautiful antique vases which Sfondrato had brought
for the purpose. One urn was consecrated to Agnes,
the other to Emerentiana."*

Such were the circumstances attending the Inven-
tion of the body of St. Agnes. The reader will
readily perceive that in many points it differs from
the discovery of St. Cecilia's tomb. The precious
remains of the Virgin Agnes had already partly suf-
fered the common fate which condemns the body of
man to return to the dust of which it was originally
formed ; the mortal remains of Cecilia were preserved
intact in her sepulchre. The virgin who suffered

* An interesting account of this Invention may be found in
Boldetti. Ossereazioni. sopra. i., Cimiterj de Santi Martiri, pages

684^686.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 307

martyrdom under Alexander Severus, could easily '
be recognized by the description given in her Acts ;
whereas the virgin, executed by command of Dio-
cletian, could only be identified by means of antique
documents which gave reason to suppose that Pope
Honorius had buried her under the altar of the No-
mentana Basilica.

We do not wish by this comparison to detract
from the glory of the illustrious Agnes, whose
memory is dear to us, and to whom we should be
most happy to consecrate a biography worthy of her;
but we cannot refrain from pointing out the prefer-
ence shown by heaven for the daughter of the Ce-
cilii. Did she not herself reveal to Paschal that the
Queen of Heaven watched over her forgotten tomb ?

And if we would discover the motive of Mary's
vigilance over Cecilia's remains, do we not find it in
the ineffable resemblance between the Spouse of Va-
lerian and the Spouse of Joseph, both having given
the world the sublime example of virginity in the
married state? The body of Mary, exempt from
original sin, sanctified by the Divine Maternity, was
assumed into heaven amidst choirs of angels ; the
body of Cecilia, participating in our fallen nature,
but elevated by the immortal virtue of purity, re-
mained thirteen centuries in the bowels of the earth
without suffering dissolution. Let us return thanks
to the heavenly Spouse who protected His beloved
even in the tomb; and let us glorify the Queen of
Virgins who honored in Cecilia one of her own most
noble prerogatives.

Paul V. imitated the example of Clement V11I.,

308 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA

|

and presented a silver casket to contain the relics
of the glorious martyr whose Invention honored
his Pontificate. Emerentiana was also placed in
this splendid casket. The greater part of the glory
of this new solemnity, which was far inferior to
that offered Cecilia, was due to the exertions of the
pious Cardinal, who seemed to have received the
mission of presenting to the Holy City her most
august and best beloved saints. Sfondrato was not
satisfied with contributing to Cecilia's glory in the
Basilica where she reposes ; he desired to give
the other sanctuaries dedicated to the illustrious
Virgin, proofs of his pious solicitude. He com-
menced with the little Church of St. Cecilia de domo
in the Campus Martius.

This sanctuary was once a dependency of the Ba-
silica of St. Lawrence in Damaso ; at a later period, it
was attached to the Church of St. Lawrence in Lu-
cina, on account of its neighborhood to the latter
Basilica. But the divine service being carelessly
performed, Sfondrato decided to place the church
under the charge of two Dominican friars, for whose
maintenance he would himself provide. After the
Cardinal's death, Paul V. felt bound in honor to
carry out his pious intention by Apostolic authority,
and therefore issued a Brief, dated 23d of January,
1622, in which after commending Sfondrato's piety
towards* the church, he first suppressed the title of
Saint Blaise which had been attached to this sanc-
tuary, and then taking it from the jurisdiction of
the Church of St. Lawrence in Lucina, subjected it
in perpetuity to the titulary Cardinal of Saint Cecilia.
Finally, he assigned in favor of the two Dominican

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA 309

friars, a salary of three hundred and twenty-five
Eoman crowns, to be drawn from the revenues of
the Abbot of " Our Lady of the Column," in the
diocese of Piacenza.* We have spoken elsewhere
of the Church of St. Cecilia a Monte-Giordano which
also belonged to the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in
Damaso. This Church was falling to ruins. Sfon-
drato had determined to rebuild it and had laid the
first corner stone of the new edifice on the 21st of
June, 1602. Later, in 1621, after Sfondrato's death,
the Oratorian Fathers of Saint Philip de Neri, wish-
ing to enlarge their house of Vellicella, earnestly
begged Gregory XV. to permit them to demolish
this church which interfered with their architect's
plans. The Pontiff granted the request on condition
that the principal altar of the celebrated chapel,
called the Oratory, which was to be built on the site
of the church, should be dedicated to St. Cecilia con-
jointly with St. Philip Neri; and that the altar
piece should represent these two saints, the illus-
trious Virgin being on the right. f This condition
was faithfully complied with.- The picture was
painted by Vanni. In the upper part, he has repre-
sented the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.
Every year on the 22d of November, the festival of
St. Cecilia is celebrated as a patronal feast, and thus
the beautiful thought of Sfondrato has been perpetu-
ated to our day. The pious Cardinal who so zealously
honored the memory of the Spouse of Christ, was no
less devoted to the Queen of Heaven. We will
illustrate this by a single incident.

* Biblioth. Vaticane. MSS. do Galetti. Santa Cecilia.
\ Bref Cum ad uberes, du 7 des Kalondos do Novombro.

310 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Having been promoted by Paul V., to the Legation
of Bologna, his first thought was to visit and vener-
ate the house of Loretto. In the enthusiasm of his
respectful love for the Virgin, he mounted to the
ebony statue which represents the Queen of this
Holy House, and taking from his finger a magnifi-
cent diamond ring, worth five hundred gold crowns,
he placed it on the finger of the miraculous image.
In returning to Eome, he passed by Loretto, and
hung round the neck of the Madonna, a gold cross
set with eight superb emeralds. He also desired to
offer a worthy tribute to the divine Infant whom the
Blessed Mother holds in her arms Before starting
for his legation, he presented the Son with a diamond
ring far surpassing the one he had offered to the
Mother. He himself placed it upon the iinger of the
Holy child, and until the spoliation of the sanctuary
of Loretto in 1797, this diamond by its wonderful
brilliancy attracted the admiration of all the pilgrims
who visited the shrine.*

In 1607, Sfondrato was called to the Bishopric of
Cremona, in the province of Milan, which had lately
lost its great Archbishop St. Charles. The illus-
trious Cardinal Frederick Borromeo, nephew of the
holy Archbishop, was faithfully imitating his uncle's
virtues in the See of St. Ambrose. Sfondrato's arrival
was a great consolation to Frederick, as they had both
chosen for their model the celebrated Pontiff whose
recent loss still deeply grieved the Church. Sfon-
drato, to whom the city of Eome owes the beautiful

* Ciacconius Vitce Romanorum Pontijicum at S. R. E. Cardie
nalium. Tome iv. p. 226.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 311

Church of St. Charles al Corso, obtained from Fred-
erick for this sanctuary the heart of the invinci-
ble reformer of discipline and of Christian morals. In
the year 1611, our pious Cardinal was recalled to
Rome. Paul V elevated him to the Bishopric of
Albano, and Sfondrato was obliged to leave his See of
Cremona where his memory is still gratefully pre-
served. As he had been appointed Titulary of one
of the Suburbicarian Sees, he could no longer, ac-
cording to the ordinary rule, retain the simply Pres-
byterial Church of St. Cecilia ; but Sfondrato could
not think of confiding to another, the precious deposit
which the Virgin herself had given him.

He therefore solicited and obtained from Paul V.,
as a reward for his generosity towards the trans-Ti-
berian Basilica, the favor of retaining it, in commen-
dam together with the Bishopric which he had been
forced to except.

His Administration of the Church of Albano was
of 'short duration; but it was marked by his inex-
haustible charity to the poor. Each year, he dis-
tributed among them the whole of his Episcopal
revenue, without diminishing the alms he continued
to bestow in Rome, whither the functions of his emi-
nent dignity frequently called him.*

In 1614, the Roman Ritual, published by Paul V.,
completed the series of liturgical books, for the use
of the Universal Church. The publication of this
work had been left by the Council of Trent to the
Sovereign Pontiff.

* Ciacconius Vita Romanorum Pont\ficum el S» R. E* Canli-
nulium. Tome iv. page 227.

312 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Catholicity owes it to Sfondrato's exertions. He
induced Paul V., to undertake the compilation of this
manual for the use of the priests in the administra-
tion of the Sacraments. He was one of the most
assiduous members of the committee appointed by
the Pope to prepare this important work; and he
superintended its compilation with untiring solicitude.

Sfondrato* died at Tivoli, on the 14th of February,
1618, in the fifty seventh year of his age. The sad
news reached the nuns of Santa Cecilia on the morn-
ing of the following day. Nothing can express their
grief on hearing of this unexpected death ; we find in
the Chronicle of the Monastery : " That several of the
Sisters fainted, and that the dinner of that day was
untouched."!

Ever constant in his love for St. Cecilia, Sfondrato
made his will in favor of her Basilica ; he had for
eighteen years renounced his own name, and assumed
that of Cardinal of St. Cecilia.^

* Ciacconius Vitae Romanorum Pontificum et S. R. E. Cardi-
naliuin. Tome iv. page 226. The Vatican Library is indebted to
Sfondrato's generosity'for the valuable Greek Menology, attri-
buted to the Emperor Basil. It was published in 1727, with
Byzantine illustrations, at the expense of Cardinal Annibal
Albani. It is one of the most interesting monuments of the
Melchite Liturgy.

f Chroniche del venerabile monasteri do Santa Cecilia.

J In the correspondence of Cardinal d'Ossat, we find two letters
which Sfondrato had addressed through this ambassador to Henry
IV., and to Marie de Medicis, to obtain from France some reli«s
for the Basilica. D'Ossat, in sending these letters, advised the
king to address his reply to the Cardinal of St. Cecilia, because,
he adds, he wishes to be called by this title and not by his
surname! (Letters du Cardinal d'Ossat, 26 Aont 1602, tome iv.
page 304). We find the same thing in a public document rela-

LIFE OF SAIKT CECILIA. 313

Some extracts from the will of this Cardinal, will
probably, interest our readers, as his name will
always be united with that of St. Cecilia in the
annals of Christianity.

"In the first place," says Paul Emilius Sfondrato.
" I recommend my soul with perfect submission to my
gracious Eedeemer, Jesus Christ ; to his most Holy
and ever Blessed Mother, the most pure Virgin Mary,
the true advocate of sinners ; to the glorious Apostles
Peter and Paul ; to my glorious and most faithful
protectress, St. Cecilia; to St. Agnes, my special
advocate ; to St. Mary Magdalen, St. Thecla, St.
Joseph, Sts. Lucius, Urban, Valerian, Tiburtius, and
Maximus, and all the Saints towards whom I have
any special devotion, or who have been my protec-
tors; that I may be found worthy of the Divine
Mercy, and may be admitted into their society for-
ever. I wish my body to be buried in the Church
of my beloved St. Cecilia, in the tomb I have caused
to be made under the Confession before the altar of
the Saint."

Then follow the Cardinal's directions relative to
the religious services, and the alms to be distributed
on the day of his funeral. After requesting the most
simple obsequies, with merely twelve torches, he adds :

ting to the laying of the corner stone in tho rebuilding of St.
Cecilia's Church, a Monto Giordano. The following is an extract
from the verbal process of this ceremony : Ob idqne Cardinalia
Sanctae Ca3cilia), relicta propria bus nobilissima «'t antiquiasims
familial denominatione, nuncupari eta ppeUarl volnit, amoreatque
devotionis zelo erga eamdem Beatam CooUiam ftagrana atque

incensus. (MSS. du Vatican, (Jalletti.) BfondratO in this
respect followed the example of St. Charles Borromeo, who
always signed himself Cardinal of St. IVaxrdcs, and iu'\vr Car-
dinal Borromeo.

314 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

" 1 appoint as my sole legatee, the Church of St. Ceci-
lia, in the Trastevere, where her holy body reposes."
The legacy is to be employed in the following manner.
First of all, ninety lamps are to be kept burning day
and night, and fed with the purest oil. Four chap-
lains, one of whom is to have the title of guardian of
St. Cecilia's body, are to officiate in the Basilica.
They are to visit the chapel daily and are to be
assisted by two clerks. Moreover, there is to be a
layman charged with the care of the bronzes and
marble of the Confession, as well as with the feeding
and lighting of the lamps. The chaplains, clerks,
and laymen, are forbidden to enter into the service
of any other person, even though he be a Cardinal.

Sfondrato bequeathed to his Basilica all the relics
he had collected in its treasury. The smallest por-
tion of these can never be removed, and each Abbess,
on entering upon her office, is obliged to take an
oath faithfully to observe these directions. He also
requested that there should be three keys to the
treasury, one of which should be entrusted to the
Abbess, the second to the Prioress, and the third to
the Mistress of Novices.

The Cardinal also made other legacies to different
persons or establishments. To the duke, his brother,
his patrimonial estates ; to his cathedral church of
Albano, all his pontifical ornaments and all his sil-
ver church vessels; to the Madonna of Loretto, a
gold heart worth one hundred crowns, and " I wish,"
he adds, " that it be suspended round her neck in
memory of the love I have desired to feel for her."
To this donation, the Cardinal adds the superb ring

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 315

he was in the habit of wearing, and which was re-
markable for a very valuable cameo.

The codicil contains the following legacies.

To his sister Angelica Agatha, a ring containing
relics of St. Cecilia.

To the Duke Hercules, his brother, Vanni's pic-
ture of St. Cecilia expiring. This is a different one
from that placed by the Cardinal in the Crypt of the
Basilica, upon the altar of the holy martyr.

To his second brother, the marquis, a painting of
St. Agnes.

To Cardinal Farn&se, his large painting of St.
Peter weeping over his sin.

To Cardinal Giustiniani, the Ecce Homo of Sodomi.

To the Convent of The Minerva, a portrait of St.
Thomas, life size. To the professed house of the
Gesu, the painting in which the Cardinal is repre-
sented kneeling before St. Cecilia and the other
saints to whom he had a special devotion.

To the barefoot Carmelites, an oval picture of the
Madonna.

After this enumeration, Sfondrato adds, "I be-
queath the remainder to the Saint." Then he con-
cludes with the following directions: "For the
honor and glory of my dear Saint Agnes and of her
holy body, I leave two hundred and fifty measures
(boccali) of oil annually, to feed ten lamps which arc
to burn night and day, and I charge the Abbess of
St. Cecilia with the execution of this bequest;'

This will, an everlasting memorial of the Car
dmal's piety, bears the date of the 6th of August,
1615.

316 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Sfondrato's body was carried from Tivoli to the.
Church of St. Cecilia and placed near the Com-
munion rail, so that the sisters might contemplate
the mortal remains of him who had been their pro-
tector and their father. It was not deemed necessary
to conform to the humble Cardinal's request re-
specting his obsequies. The Abbess and the reli-
gious of St. Cecilia desired that they should be
celebrated with all possible pomp and solemnity.

So great a man could only be buried at the feet of
the Virgin whom he had so tenderly loved. He had
already caused his tomb to be prepared in the crypt
where she reposes, and had had engraved upon a
slab of porphyry the inscription he had composed as
his last homage to the martyr. We have frequently,
by the light of torches, read it in this gloomy vault,
near Cecilia's body, and we have envied the happi-
ness of him whose mortal remains it covers, and who
sleeps, humbly buried under a pavement never trod-
den by the footsteps of the profane. It is thus con-
ceived :

PALVS TITVLI S. C-flECILLZB S. R. E. PRESB.

CARD. SFONDRATVS MISERRIMVS PECCATOR

ATQUE EIUSDEM VIRGINIS HVMUJS SERVVS

HIC AD EIVS PEDES HVMILITER REQVIESCIT.

VIXIT ANNOS LVII. MENSES X. DIES XXV.

OBIIT ANNO MDCXVIII. MENSE FEBR. DIE XIV.

ORATE DEVM PRO EO.*

Paul Sfondrato, a Cardinal Priest of the Holy Roman Church,
a Titulary of St. Cecilia, a poor sinner, and an humble servant
of this holy Virgin, here lies humbly at her feet. He lived
fifty-seven years, ten months, and tweuty-five days, and died on
the 14th of February, 1626. Pray to God for him.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 317

This touching and simple epitaph, concealed from
every eye in the depths of a crypt, was not sufficient
to record the glory and merits of Sfondrato. The
executors of his will erected a magnificent cenotaph
to the Cardinal, under the right lateral nave, near
the sacristy, at the spot where the Ponziani chapel for-
merly opened into the Basilica. On this monument is
placed the bust of the Cardinal ; the hands are joined,
and the mozetta is of colored marble. On the right,
is a statue of St. Cecilia, holding in her hand a minia-
ture organ ; on the left, one of St. Agnes with a
lamb. A bass-relief on the upper part of the monu-
ment, represents Sfondrato presenting St. Cecilia's
body to Clement VIII. These details are unfortu-
nately very badly executed. The cenotaph is com-
pleted by an inscription recording the services ren-
dered by Cardinal Paul Emilius Sfondrato to the
Church and to St. Cecilia.

DEO. TRINO. VNI.

PAVLO. SFONDRATO. CARD. EPISC. ALBAN.

GREG. XIV. FR. FIL. BONONIEN. LEGATO.

SIGNATVR^S. GRATLE. PRJ3FECTO.

CREMONEN. PR.ESVLI. PIETATE. IN DEVM.

DIVOSQVE. ANIMARVM. STVDIO.

CHARITATE. IN. PAVPERES.

PLANE. MEMORANDO.

QVOD. SANCTIS. OECILIJE. CORPVS.

INSIGNI. SEPVLCRO. LVMINIBUS. AD.

CENTVM. PERPETVO. COLLVCENTIBVS.

TERRESTRI PROPE CGELO. DECORA VIT.

TEMPLUM EXORNATVM.
SACERDOTIBVS. M1NISTRIS. PRETIOSIS.

27

318 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

VASIS. ET. KELIQUIIS AVCTVM.

H.EREDEM EX.

ASSE. RELIQVIT.

QVODQVE. OMNEM. EIVSMODI. RERVM.

MEMORIAM. VIVENS. REPVLIT.

DEMORTVO. ANNO ^TATIS. LVII. SAL.

MDCXVIII.

ORDOARDVS. CARD. FARNESIVS. ET.

AVGVSTINVS. PACCINELLIVS. SENEN.

TESTAMENTARII. EXECVTORES.

P. P.*

CHAPTEE XXXIV.

FACTS RELATING TO ST. CECILIA AND HER BASILICA THROUGHOUT
THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. THE JANSENISTIC SCHOOL ATTACKS
THE ACTS OF THE HOLY MARTYR.

We are now near the close of our history. The
Jansenists, ever eager to pluck from the brow of the

* To the one God in three Divine Persons. To the memory
of Paul Sfondrato, Cardinal Bishop of Albano, nephew of Gregory
XIV., Legate of Bologna, Bishop of Cremona, Praefect of the
Sign of Grace, worthy of all commendation for his piety towards
God and the Saints, his zeal for the salvation of souls, and his
charity towards the poor. Through his exertions the body of
St. Cecilia was honored with a magnificent sepulture; one hun-
dred lamps burn night and day before her tomb, presenting a
faint image of the splendor which surrounds her in heaven. He
named this temple, embellished through his largesses, heir of
all his fortune, endowed its priests and ministers, and enriched
it with valuable vases and holy relics. During his lifetime, he
never permitted any one to speak in his presence, of the monu-
ments of his piety. He died at the age of fifty-seven, in the
year of salvation, 1618. Odoard, Cardinal Farnese, and Augus-
tin Paccinelli, of Sienna, his executors, have erected this monu-
ment..

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 319

Church, the ornaments with which it has pleased her
divine Spouse to adorn her, seem to have taken
pleasure in casting ridicule and contempt upon many
of the touching traditions which have come down to
us from the earliest ages. And, indeed, they have
manifested as much earnestness in modifying history
to suit their views as in reforming dogmas and Evan-
gelical morals according to their own plans.

Their efforts have been fruitless. Jansenism has
been supplanted by Voltarian philosophy, which, in
its turn, is gradually falling into decay, and upon
its ruin is rising a new and Catholic generation,
clinging to the traditions of the early Church, sym-
pathizing with it in faith and feeling, and trampling
under foot the prejudices which a succession of dis-
astrous circumstances seemed to have rendered na-
tional. Truly, this generation exhibits a wonderful
example of the unerring instinct of faith in matters
regarding God and His Saints! Every thing is against
us: Ecclesiastical History, the Lives of the Saints,
the profound and systematic oblivion in which ma-
liciously disposed persons have sought to bury a
thousand traditions which nourished the faith of our
fathers, and gave rise to the miracles of former ages.

It is alarming even to glance at the formidable
task awaiting Catholic criticism; yet the church of
France imperatively calls for the vindication of the
authenticity of many grave and valuable documents,

many historical details and Acts of the Saints, cruelly

compromised in this conspiracy against truth. Suph
a task, considered in its (nil extent, is far beyond our
power ; we liave merely touched upon a Bingle point.

May the august Virgin Cecilia pardon us for having

320 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

defended her so feebly ; He, who has already indem-
nified her for the forgetf illness of mankind, will, in
his own good time, raise up a powerful avenger of
her cause.

The renown of the numerous miracles wrought in
the trans-Tiberian Basilica^ during the latter part of
the sixteenth century, was soon widely circulated,
not only throughout France, but through the whole
of Christendom, and resulted in the publication of
several religious and literary works. We will cite
among others a musical drama, entitled: The Ceci-
lian, or the Martyrdom of St. Cecilia, published in
Paris by Nicholas Soret, in 1606. The choruses
were set to music by Abraham Blondet. In 1617,
de Welles published at Arras, a French translation
of a volume edited in Rome by Bosio, containing
the Acts of St. Cecilia and an account of the two
Inventions of the martyr's body. De Welles enti-
tled his translation : Chastity victorious in the admi-
rable conversion of St. Valerian husband of St. Cecilia,
Tiburtius, Maximus, and others*. Later a member
of the Oratory in France, Nicholas de Bralion, who
resided at Rome from 1625 to 1640, and who has left
an interesting work upon the churches of this capital
of the Christian world, f dedicated a volume to the
glory of our holy Martyr in her tomb. He did not
publish it until 1688, a short time before his death,
under the title of: The admirable Sepulture of St.
Cecilia in her Church in Rome. Even at this early
period, hagiography was preparing the most magnifi-

* One vol. in 12°.

t Curiositie de Tune et de Tautre Rome, 1655-1659. Three
vols, iu 8^.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 321

cent tribute which the genius of Catholicity had ever
dedicated to the honor of the Saints. The immense and
erudite collection of the Acts of the Saints, commenced
in 1643, at Anvers by Bollandus, successfully pursued
its course ; a new volume being annually published,
worthy of those which had preceded it both in the
importance of the matter and the erudition of the
commentaries and notes. The work was arranged
according to the plan of the " Ecclesiastical Cycle
and the Martyrologies," but owing to many interrup-
tions it is unfortunately still incomplete. It has
been resumed in later years, much to the satifaction
of all Catholic hearts; but the Acts of the 18th of
October, upon this immense Calendar, will not be
published for several years. It is more than prob-
able that the present century will draw near to a
close before the Acts of St. Cecilia will be given to
the public.

In 1648, a new triumph was awarded to St. Cecilia,
at the Capitol in Eome. The chapel of this magnifi-
cent palace was newly decorated, and the daughter
of the Cecilii, as a Roman citizen and matron, was
honored with a painting and accompanying inscrip-
tion in this sanctuary.* This great Virgin is repre-
sented as the patroness of music : she is seated,
playing a harpsicord. The painting is by Roma-
nelli — the inscription as follows :
S. CAECILIAB
VIRGINI ET MARTYRI
S. P. Q. R.
* MDCXLVIII.

* Three other personages, all Roman citizens, have been
honored in this chapel of the Capitol. St. luistacc, J^t. Alexis,
and Blessed Louise Albertoni.

322 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

The idea of thus restoring the name and memory
of Cecilia, in the very place where her ancestor Caia
Cecili had for so many years been honored with a
statue, is deeply touching and admirably blends
Pagan and Christian Eome in the person of our
heroine. A Christian Cecilia assuming in the Capi-
tol the place of the Pagan Caia proves alike the
triumph of Christianity and the eternity of Eome.

Before the close of the seventeenth century, the
most eminent hagiographers had published their
opinion respecting these Acts, against which so vio-
lent a tempest was about to break forth. Hensche-
nius spoke in the highest terms of this venerable
document, in commenting upon the 14th of April,
dedicated to Sts. Tiburtius, Valerian and Maximus.*

The opinion of a man so well versed in the diffi-
cult art of comparing documents and deciding their
respective merits, was certainly a powerful counter-
poise to the arguments adduced by St. Cecilia's ene-
mies ; but the truth of her history was conclusively
established in 1680, when Papebroke, who had
shared the labors of Henschenius, announced to the
public his decision in favor of her Acts. In the
very beginning of the first volume of the Acts of
the Saints for the month of May, this critic who cer-
tainly cannot be accused of credulity, declared the

* Heec pervetusta homm sanctorum solemnis veneratio, pluri-
mum crevit ex certissima virtutum ac martyrii notitia, quam
dabant antiqua S. Caeciliae Acta quse tunc temporis omnium
manibus terebantur, et hactenus in prsecipuis et perantiquis
membranis conservantur. Acta SS. Aprilis, Tome ii. page 203.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 323

Acts of St. Cecilia most ancient and true.* Divine
Providence doubtless permitted this fearless testi-
mony as a counterpoise to the opinion of certain
influential writers who would have consigned to
oblivion one of the most precious recitals of the
primitive Church.

The Acts of St. Cecilia, as the unprejudiced
reader must have already perceived, are not wanting
in intrinsic- evidence of their own truth ; still, Ave
are no less happy to record in their favor the opin-
ion of so competent a judge, a man who was cen-
sured throughout Europe for the severity of his
criticism.

It is something to be able to prove that the very
century which beheld the attack, saw also the most
learned and reliable men coming forward to repress
the audacity of a clique which felt itself called to
exercise a lasting influence over the minds of men.
The greater the number of Saints 7 lives which Pape-
broke has rejected, as doubtful or apocryphal, the
stronger the weight of his authority in support of
those which he has deemed it his duty to admft.

The impulse given to hagiography by the Bollan-
dists, first called forth the Acta Sanctorum Ordinis
sancti Benedlcti published by Dom Mabillon, and
then inspired Dom Euinart with the idea of his
Acta primorum Martyrum slncera et selecta. This
precious collection, a treasure of erudition and

* Antiquissima et sincerissima habeiitiir hujtLS Ballots Virgi-
nia Acta, quorum notitia videtur admodum Bero perlata ad
Grsecos, etc. EphemerideM Grcecorum tt Mo8coruM } page 51.

324 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

criticism, appeared in 1689. The author's plan was
to make a collection of what seemed to him the
most authentic Acts of the Martyrs in order to set
forth in its strongest light, the powerful argument
which the Church derives from the courageous con-
fession of those heroes of the Faith. The Acts of
St. Cecilia are not in this collection, for as the school
of Port Eoyal was then beginning to prepare its
decrees of proscription against an innumerable num-
ber of christian monuments, Dom Euinart was
unwilling to insert in his book any Acts that were
not unhesitatingly admitted by men whose influence
was already so strikingly felt. However, he thought
himself bound to declare in the Preface that he was
far from pretending that his collection contained all
the genuine Acts of the Martyrs, or from branding
as apocryphal those which he had not thought proper
to insert ;* and in the body of the work he qualifies
as excellent (egregia) the Acts of St. Sebastian, which
he had not dared to insert, on account of some
trifling difficulties presented by them. This system
offers serious inconveniences and if applied to his-
torical records in general, would soon give birth to

* Porro etsi nihil oniiserira, ut quantum in me fuit, haec Ac-
torum collectio accurata atque numeris omnibus absoluta redde-
retur : non ita tamen rem me confeeisse existimo, ut nulla peni-
tus, prseter ea quae hie exhibemus sincera Martyrum Acta
reperiri posse existimem. Nee etiam animus est, ea omnia inter
spuria rejicere quae hie non habentur ; quin et si aliquis non-
nulla ex iis qua? a me forte rejecta sunt sincera judicaverit, non
refragabor, modo id argumentis certis probare queat : alias unus-
quisque hi suo sensu abundet. Acta sincera Martyrum : Prsefatio.
page 12.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 325

the most ridiculous and dangerous pyrrhonism.
Among the best historians of ancient or even modern
times, are there many whose narrations may not be
contradicted in some particulars, and is it not the
province of sound criticism to throw light upon
doubtful statements, to explain inconsistencies, and
in a word, to clear away the clouds which, through
some fault, voluntary or involuntary, of the narrator,
have veiled the truth? What would become of our
knowledge of the past, if it were permitted to reject
the testimony of an author whose honesty is un-
doubted, simply because his writings exhibit traces
of haste and inaccuracy ?

The favor with which Dom Kuinart's collection
was received, and the esteem in which it is still held,
enables us to draw from it rules of criticism which
the severest critic must admit. The facts related in
these Acts, which he declares to be absolutely
unquestionable, are so many terms of comparison,
whose value cannot be disputed, and we shall soon
see that the Acts of St. Cecilia, when compared with
those guaranteed as true by Dom Euinart, come off
triumphant from the trial.

We must also remember, that two thirds of the
Acts published by Dom Kuinart were compiled
after the age of Persecutions, from ancient memoirs
long since lost. He even admits the Acts of St.
Cyr and St. Julitte, although ho acknowledges that
they were not compiled before the reign of Justinian. 11

It is easy to perceive how strongly the example

* Acta Martyrum Bincera et Beleota, page r>20.

326 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

thus given by the severe Benedictine, tends to con-
firm the confidence of the Church in the Acts of St.
Cecilia, although we no longer possess the primitive
Acts compiled by the Notaries of Eome, nor other
documents from which the compiler of the fifth
century framed his narrative. But we will digress
for a moment from the field of controversy, to
congratulate the Eoman Basilica of St. Cecilia upon
an event which towards the end of the seventeenth
century re-awakened its dearest and most brilliant
reminiscences.

On the 12th of December, 1695, Innocent XII.,
elevated to the honors of the purple Celestin Sfon-
drato, Abbot of St. Gall. Celestin, who was born in
1644, was a nephew of Paul Emilius, and from his
youth had aspired to the cloistered life. He pro-
nounced his vows according to the Benedictine Eule,
in this illustrious Abbey, Avhere he consecrated his
leisure hours to the study of sacred science, and'
cultivated it with remarkable success. The heart of
the young monk was inflamed with such ardent zeal
for the liberty of the Church, that he was one of the
most generous defenders of her independence against
the eneroachments of Louis XIV. And this, at a
time when Catholic Europe was looking on these
encroachments in silence.

Celestin had been sent to the Abbey of St. Peter,
in Saltzburg, to fill the chair of canonical law in the
University of that city, when the assembly of the
French Clergy, in 1682, published the famous
Declaration respecting the rights of the Sovereign

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 327

Pontiff in the constitution of the Church. A council
of Bishops in Hungary, and several universities in
Spain declaimed against the outrage thus offered in
France to apostolic power. The University of Saltz-
burg likewise published its disapproval of the four
propositions of the Parisian Assembly. This cou-
rageous act was principally due to the influence of
Sfondrato.

But he did not limit his zeal to the condemnation
of novelties, of which he could easily foresee the
disastrous influence upon religious and political
society. He boldly entered the arena and whilst
awaiting the " Defence of the Declaration," which
Louis XIV., exacted from, the Bishop of Meaux, he
avenged the liberty of the church in an excellent
Treatise upon the Regale, against which this fatal
storm had been directed;* in his Sacerdoce Royal,
he elevated the apostolic monarchy, which had been
degraded through the interested policy of several
court prelates ;f he proved the novelty of the princi-
ples of the French Clergy in a learned work against
Mainbourg in which he brought forward the testi-
mony and authority of ancient French authors \% and
finally, when the scandalous conduct of the Marquis
de Lavardin in regard to the privileges claimed by
the French ambassador at the Court of Eome, bad
manifested to the world the pride and obstinacy of

* Tractatus Regaliae contra Rlerum Gallicarmm, 1682 in 4°.

f Regale Sacerdotium Comano Pontiiici assert um, et quatuor
propositicmibus explicatum, sous le pscudonymc d'Eugenius Lom-
bards, 1684, in-1.

X Gallia vindieata. 1688, in-4.

323 LIFE OF SAIXT CECILIA.

Louis XIV., in his dealings with the Pope, Sfondrato
transmitted to posterity a faithful account of these
unworthy proceedings on the part of one, who called
himself "the oldest son of the Church."*

This invincible zeal of Sfondrato excited the
animosity of the heads of the French Clergy, who
were accomplices in the work of 1652. But they
failed in obtaining the condemnation of the book in
which he treats all questions concerning grace, in a
manner opposed to the theories of thomism.f Rome
did not think that Sfondrato had advanced any
thing contrary to the decisions of the Church. At
the same time the author could not be classed amonsr

o

those who were called in France the flatterers of the
Eoman Court ; for although he energetically supported
the sacred prerogatives of the supreme Pontiff, he was
no less firm in censuring the abuses to which human
frailty sometimes yielded in so elevated a position.
There is a severe treatise against Nepotism which i.s
a production of the courageous pen of Celestin
Sfondrato.:}:

Such a man could not fail to interest the noble
heart of Innocent XL, In 16SS, this Pontiff appointed
Sfondrato, Bishop of ZSTovare; this nomination was at
first declined by the learned monk. He afterwards
decided to accept it, but just as he was on the point
of so doing, the Abbey of St. Gall became vacant,

* Legatio Marcliionis Lavardmi Romam, ejnsque cum Iniio-
centio XI dissidiurn. 1655. in-12.

t Nodus prsdestina-tionis dissolutns, 1697. in-4.
4: 2sepotisiiiU5 theologiae expensus. 1692 in-12.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 329

•and the unanimous suffrage of the chapter elected
Sfondrato to the dignity of Abbot, together with the
honors of Prince of the Holy Empire. In this new
dignity he was ever faithful to the Church, and to
the Holy See, humble amidst the grandeur which
surrounded him, zealous for the salvation of souls,
assiduous in study, vigilant in the government of his
principality, austere in his habits and remarkable,
as his uncle Paul Emilius had been, for his inex-
haustible charity towards the poor and suffering.

Such was Celestin Sfondrato, the most powerful
Abbot of his time, as well as the most celebrated for
his virtues and science, when he received the news
of his elevation to the Cardinalate, Innocent XII.
called him to Kome / and he was obliged to resign his
Abbey. The Pope, in memory of his uncle, con-
ferred upon him the Church of St. Cecilia. Celestin
merited this glorious honor in reward for his attach-
ment to the liberty of the Church ; but he had
scarcely arrived in Eome, when he was attacked by
a serious illness, and scarcely had a year elapsed
after his promotion, when he yielded his soul to God,
on the 4th of September, JL 69 6, in the 52nd year of
age. Like Paul Emilius, he desired to repose in the
Basilica of the Holy Martyr, and gave orders that
the humble epitaph composed by his uncle should
be engraven upon his tomb. It is still to be seen
and runs thus :

CJELESTINVS TITVLI S. OJSCILLfli
S. R. E. PRESBYTER CARDIXAL1S SFONDRATV3

330 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

MISERRIMVS PECCATOR

ATQVE EIVSDEM VIRGINIS HVMILIS SERVVS

AD CVIVS PEDES HIC HVMILITER REQVIESCIT

YIXIT ANKOS LII.

OBIIT PRIDIE NONAS SEPTEMBRIS

ANNO MDCXCVI.

ORATE DEVM PRO EO.

This Prince of the Church, so lately a temporal
Prince, did not have sufficient means to provide for
his burial, and the Apostolic Chamber were obliged
to defray his funeral expenses.*

At the very moment when the Sovereign Pontiff
invited Celestin Sfondrato to take possession of the
sanctuary, whence the heroic Cecilia has for centuries
bestowed her blessings upon the defenders of the
Church, the outrage which had been long preparing
in France against the memory of this incomparable
Martyr, was consummated. In 1695, appeared the
third volume of the Memoires pour servir a Vhistoire
HJcclesiastique des six premiers siecles, by Le Nain de
Tillemont, one of the most learned and dangerous
adepts of Port Eoyal. Iff this volume, as well as in
those which precede and follow it, we find a vein of
profound and systematical contempt for the traditions
most prized by Catholics ; the Acts of St. Cecilia are
censured with a levity and partiality which must call
forth, sooner or later, the disapprobation of all impar-

* Guarnacci. Vitce et res gestcB Pontificnrr, Romanoritm. et S»
JR. E, Cardinalium, tome 1, page 443-446.

J.TFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 331

tial critics. Notwithstanding the popularity they '
had enjoyed for over a thousand years, they are not '
deemed worthy a special chapter; in a simple note
of the two pages, Tillemont settles the question of
their authenticity.

" These Acts," says he, " may be ancient, and are
not badly written."* Having admitted this, Tille-
mont goes on to assail these grave and ancient acts
with a multitude of objections, which we will refute
in the ensuing chapter. At present, w r e deem it a
duty to lay before our readers the views entertained
concerning the Acts of St. Cecilia, by the majority
of Christians during the very century, which beheld
them ridiculed and despised by bold and unscrupu-
lous authors.

The Eoman Church, the Ambrosian Church, the
Gallican Church, the Gothic Church of Spain, and
the Greek Church had unanimously proclaimed these
Acts worthy the respect of all Christendom. From
age to age, Pontiffs and Doctors, who succeeded each
other in their different Churches, venerated a narra-
tion, many parts of which were then, and are still,
used in different parts of the Divine Service through-
out the greater number of Christian countries. Can
so many competent judges, so many nations, so many
individuals, be accused of having received, with
undeviating respect, for thirteen centuries, a fabulous

*Tillcmont. Memoires pour servin a T Hist Ecclesiastique, tome
Hi. p. 259. It is perhaps well to observe that the expression
badly written which Tillemont uses, should not be understood
in its present signification. In the seventeenth century, it
signified a compilation faulty in matter, not in style.

332 LIFE OF SA1XT CECILIA.

legend, which reason and criticism were always at
liberty to condemn, since it was not in any way con-
nected with the Sacred Scriptures.

Shall we pass over, as a thing of no importance,
the unanimous agreement of hagiographers, for a
period of a thousand years, beginning from the
Venerable Bede and descending to Baronius and
Papebroke ? And shall we venture to assert, that the
question, concerning the authenticity of St. Cecilia's
Acts, had never been discussed until the da}^, when
Port Eoyal was pleased to intimate to the Christian
world its decisions against their truth ?

If, after having cited the unanimous approbation
of past ages, we now consider the Acts in themselves,
will sound criticism, find any reason for discrediting
the facts which they contain ? Are not these facts in
perfect accordance with the age in which they are
said to have transpired ? Do we find in them anything
opposed to the customs of the early Christians of
Eome ? Is there anything either singular, or improb-
able, in the incidents related, or in the language of
the speakers ? Are we not, on the contrary, impressed
with the similarity of these Acts to those given us
by Dom Euinart ?

During the centuries that have elapsed since the
publication of the Acts, St. Cecilia's tomb has been
twice opened and her dwelling, now her Basilica, has
been the constant object of pious and eager research.
"What has been the result ? The most evident proofs
of the narrator's sincerity, the most striking confirma-
tion of the facts he relates. Shall the satirical and

LIFE OP SAINT CECILIA. 333

gratuitous assertions of a writer who disdains to
notice archaeological discoveries suffice to overthrow
positive proofs, the least of which would be sufficient
to reinstate in the minds of scientific men, a monu-
ment of profane antiquity no matter how decried;
especially, proofs so strong as those furnished by the
opening of Cecilia's tomb and the discovery of her
caldarium ?

If so, we must compliment the compiler of the
Acts for all the beauties found in this astonishing
work. That a man, who was ignorant even of the
grammar of his native language and of all the rules
of composition, could be the inventor of so sublime
a drama, composed with such grace and energy,
such delicacy and grandeur, never occurred to the
Christian world, until it was informed of the fact by
Tillemont ; nor should we be surprised if the learned
were still to reject it, in spite of the authority of Port
Eoyal.

There are some men, who, slaves to pride, and to
the spirit of system, have deadened that judgment
which the Creator has given us to discern truth from
falsehood ; but it is strange that Tillemont, versed
as he was in memorials of ecclesiastical antiquity,
did not at once understand the difference between
our Acts, which are so precise in their narration, so
probable throughout, so easy in the developments
of characters, and apocryphal recitals, the exagge-
rated style of which borders on the marvellous, and
convinces the reader that the author has given full
vent to his imagination, without troubling himself

334 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

about circumstances, time, or place. Now there is
as much difference between the two, as between a
portrait taken from nature and a fancy sketch.

Even though Ave had been left without any docu-
ments concerning the first ages of Christianity,
though the customs of the early Christians were per-
fectly unknown to us, what man, initiated in the
religion of Christ, would not feel that the Martyrs
led just such a life? And shall we, who, notwith-
standing the ravages of time, can still represent to
ourselves those heroic days, with the assistance of
so many incontestable monuments, not recognize the
Christians of the third centmy, the cotemporaries of
Tertullian and Origen, in the noble yet simple cha-
racters of Cecilia, Tiburtius, and Valerian ?

Insults and denials are not sufficient, proofs are
requisite. The arguments so triumphantly adduced
by Tillemont and his successors shall be discussed
by us in that Catholic spirit whfch ought to have
led them to treat with reverence, traditions admitted
by learned and virtuous men, and proposed by the
Church to the respectful admiration of her children.
To root out a beautiful flower from the garden of
the Church, to trample it under foot, to deprive Ce-
cilia of all glory save her name and an uncertain
martyrdom, must have required powerful reasons.
Our Catholic readers may judge of their merits.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. £33

CHAPTER XXXV.

EXAMINATION AND REPUTATION OP THE ARGUMENTS OP THK
JANSENISTS AGAINST THE ACTS OP ST. CECILIA.

Tillemont begins by attacking the Acts of St. Ce-
cilia, as well as those of Sts. Callistus and Urban, be-
cause they imply a persecution against the Christians,
during the reign of Alexander Severus, who is well
known to have been favorably disposed to Christi-
anity.* This objection might have some weight, if
the author of the Acts had alleged any edicts or hos-
tile disposition of the Emperor towards the Christ-
ians ; but Alexander is not once mentioned in the
Acts; the violent persecutions against the Christians
are attributed solely to the personal hatred of his
prefect, Turchius Almachius. The Acts of Saints
Callistus and Martina are more open to criticism on
this point, because Alexander Severus is personally
spoken of in connection with the persecutions.

Now it is certain that, during the reign of this
weak-minded prince, the Christians Buffered local
persecutions from the magistrates, who were hostile
to the Church, and who took advantage of the laws

* See Tillemont'fl "Memoirea pourserrir a L'HIstoire Eoolesi-
astique dea six premiers Bieoles* 1 Tome iii. p, 679.

336 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

which the son of Julia Mammaea had not the courage
to revoke. We can prove this asssertion not only
by the opinion of Baronius,* but also by the ex-
press admission of Petau,f Dom Buinart^ Fleury,§
Baillet,! and, strange to say, Tillemont himself,

* See liis notes upon the Roman Martyrology of the 1st of
January.

f Alexandro Imperatore pacem habuit Ecclesia. Nam et Chris-
tianis ille favisse dicitur. Verum cum eos in consilium adhiberet
qui, ut juris peritissimi, ita christianis iniquissimi erant, non-
nullaB Martyrum caedes extiterunt, quos inter Csecilia claruit
cum Tiburtio et Valeriano. Rationarium temporum, part, i., lib.
v., cap. xi.

J Alexandrum Heliogabali successorum Christianis favisse
nemo potest inficiari, nisi omnes antiquos scriptores rejicere
velit. Unde mirum est, tot Martyres sub ejus imperio passos a
nonnuUis recenseri. An id ad Praefectos, quos sub ejus imperio
saevissimos fuisse aiunt referendum est ? An forte dicendum,
aliquot Martyres, qui sub Severi persecutione passi sunt, ad
Alexandri tempora incaute transferri, quod et ipse Severus fue-
rit appellatus ? At Callixtus Papa, qui eo imperante vivere
desiit, inter Martyres in Kalendario Bucheriano recensetur.
Prcefatio in Acta Martyrum, §iii., page 38.

§ Although Alexander was favorable to the Christians, we
can count several martyrs during his time, among others, Pope
Callistus, who died the first year of his reign, A. D. 122., and
his successor, St. Urban. But we may believe that the perse-
cutions took place without the knowledge of the Emperor, by
the sole authority of the magistrates, who were bitter enemies
to the Christian name. Hist. Ecclesiastigue. lib. v. n° xlix.

|| However great was the peace of the Church under so good
an Emperor as Alexander Severus, who permitted himself to be
governed by his mother, Julia Manimaea, supposed to be a
Christian, and who esteemed our Redeemer so much as to pro-
pose ranking Him among the gods and erecting a temple in His
honor ; still many martyrs suffered during his reign, either in
popular tumults excited by the Pagans, or through the malignity
of the heathen priests and magistrates. We can assert with
sufficient authority, that Callistus was of this number. Vies des
Saints, tome vii. inA c 14 Octobre.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 337

who, finding it impossible to deny the martyrdom
of Pope Callistus, which assuredly took place daring
the reign of Alexander Severus, agrees that several
Christians may have received the crown of martyr-
dom at this period. He even goes so far as to ex-
plain how such persecutions took place, and in doino*
so, makes use of the very arguments which we pre-
sented to the reader in the commencement of this
history.*

The opinion of so many learned men as to the kind
of persecution the Christians of Eome suffered under
Alexander, is confirmed by the Acts of St. Cecilia,
with a precision, the force of which Tillemont does
not seem to have even perceived. It is evident from
every circumstance mentioned in these Acts, that
the Prefect Almachius, in his process against the
brothers, is very reluctant to bring forward the charge
of their being Christians; that his hesitation in con-
demning them to death is very marked ; and that he
dares not sentence Cecilia to a public execution. Let
these Acts be compared with those of other martyrs
who suffered in consequence of edicts of persecution,
and see if in the latter case the magistrates acted
with so much indecision. Add to this the emperor's
absence in the year 230, which was the last of Urban's

* But this peace did not prevent that either in consequence
of some sedition among the people, or from other causes, there
may have been some cases of martyrdom during the reign of
Alexander Severus, as there had been during that of Philip, who
passed for a Christian, and of other emperors who openly pro-
tected the Church. We have even many proofs that St. Callis-
tus suffered martyrdom under Alexander Severus. Memoires
pour nmrvir a VHistoire, Ecclesiastique, tome iii. p. 231. See als<#
Ibid in tin; notes p. 681 •

27*

338 LIFE 0F SAINT CECILIA.

pontificate, and the temporary persecution of the
Eoman magistrate will be easily understood. His
violence was at first directed only against the ple-
beians ; but a patrician family becoming accidentally
implicated, the magistrate feared to commit himself.
We have admitted that five thousand persons fell
victims in this persecution, and if the number be ex-
aggerated, our readers must remember that we do
not quote it from the Acts of St. Cecilia, but from
those of Urban, which, although doubtless reliable,
have not the authority of the Acts of the Eoman
Virgin. The fact that the latter were compiled during
the peace of the Church, is a sufficient proof of the
purity of the sources whence the writer drew his
story. Entirely ignorant of chronology, he does not
seem to know the name of the emperor under whom
the events which he relates took place ; and, never-
theless, his narrative perfectly accords with the reign
of a weak-minded prince, who, although favorable
to Christianity, still permitted his magistrates to en-
force laws which had been suspended, but not abol-
ished. If our writer had not had tradition to guide
him, he would, like the authors of apocryphal acts,
have cited in his history edicts and emperors; he
would have imitated the Acts of other martyrs, in-
stead of showing that originality, which is in perfect
keeping with the condition of the Church of Eome
under Alexander Severus. Tillemont probably felt
this, for he seeks to throw discredit upon the Acts
by pointing out circumstances contained in them,
which appear to him difficult to reconcile with what we
know of the period.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. qoo

"We find; 7 he says, "in the Acts of St. Cecilia,
that the emperors had commanded that all who would
not renounce Christianity should be punished ; con-
sequently there must have been a declared persecu-
tion. The mention made in many places of several
emperors is out of place at a period when but one
prince was reigning. 7 ' It is easy to explain this latter
difficulty, if it can be called one.

Almachius became so involved in judiciary acts of
violence against the Church, that he was forced to
refer to some law, in order to authorize his prosecu-
tions. The laws which had been promulgated against
the Christians, by the predecessors of Alexander,
were his only refuge. It was very natural that the
Prefect should express himself in the plural when
alleging the edicts of former emperors ; had he pre-
sumed to use Alexander's name, the latter might
have brought him to account for abusing his name
and authority in support of actions which were to-
tally foreign to his own line of conduct. If, therefore,
Almachius mentioned several emperors, he did not
necessarily imply that the empire was at this time
governed by several heads. This form of judiciary
style is constantly found in the acts of legal tribunals,
both of ancient and modern times. Tillcmont was
perfectly aware of this. He lived during the reign
of Louis XIV., a prince who assuredly reigned alone;
did he then think that France had suddenly fallen
into the hands of several monarchs, when lie met
with some decree of Parliament, appealing to the
edicts and ordinances of our lungs? Tillemont
is not satisfied with declaring our acts a romance,

34:0 LIFE 0F SAINT CECILIA.

solely because they seem to him incompatible with
the reign of Alexander Severus; he, moreover,
considers the very name of Almachius, which he
says is not Koman,* sufficient to invalidate the whole
narration. He even adds that such is the opinion
of Fathers Gamier and Sirmond, deeming that in
such a cause even Jesuits may be considered reliable
authority. The reply to this pretended difficulty is
very easy. Without dwelling upon the possibility
of some alteration having been made in Almachius )
name during the two centuries which elapsed be-
tween the martyrdom of St. Cecilia and the compila-
tion of her Acts, we will simply say that the prefect
who condemned our martyrs was named Turcius Al-
machius, and not merely Almachius. Can Tillemont
deny that Turcius is a Eoman name? The Eoman
inscription given by Gruter, would be sufficient to
convict him of falsehood.

Moreover, Tillemont himself, in his study of the
Martyrs of Italy, met with the name of Turcius and
quietly registered it. He relates that in 274, the
Emperor Aurelian sent a magistrate, named Turcius,
to Sutri in Tuscany, f with orders to persecute the
Christians ; and he even positively asserts that the
name of Turcius was quite common in ancient times,
several persons, named Turcius Asterius, having been
elevated to the first offices of the Empire.;}: More-
over, he mentions that in 303, during the persecution
of Diocletian, a Proconsul Turcius prosecuted the

* Memoires, tome iii., page 690.

f Memoires tome iv. p. 352.

X Memoires dan.i les notes p. 682.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 341

Christians in Perugia.* It matters little, however,
whether the name of Almachius was the exact sur-
name of the prefect, or whether it is a corruption of
the true surname, we have used it simply because it
is more popular. Tillemont, after attempting to prove
that Cecilia did not live during the reign of Alexan-
der, and after trying to obliterate even the name of
the judge to whom she owed her crown of martyrdom,
takes the trouble to find her a place in the chronology
of the saints. Now, as he refused to accept the epoch
determined by the Acts, he found it necessary to
choose between two dates. In order to avoid em-
barrassment he adopted both, neither being the one
received by the Church. The following are his
proofs: " Usuard and several others, for instance Ado,
place St. Cecilia under the Emperors Marcus Aure-
lius and Commodus who reigned conjointly, from 176
to 180. The Greeks place her under Diocletian."*

The reader may now choose between these two
equally reliable dates. It is indeed true that Usuard
and St. Ado place St. Cecilia under Marcus Aurelius
and Commodus ; but the historian of Port Royal does
not add that they also mention her during Urban's
pontilicate, that in their martyrology of the 14th of
April, they note the martyrdom of St. Tiburtius,
Maximus, and Cecilia, under the same Pontiff, from
whose hands they aflirm the two former received
Baptism, and that on the 25th of May, in the notice
on St. Urban, they relate the interviews between this
Pope and Cecilia. Usuard and Ado have therefore
erred in placing Cecilia under Marcus Aurelius and

* Memo in 8, Tome v. p, 1 L9<

3^2 LIFE 0F SAINT CECILIA.

Commodus ; this mistake may perhaps be- accounted
for by the name of Alexander Severus, which was
in full, Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander. The
liturgists of the ninth century had not the facility we
have of knowing the different imperial names, which
are now found upon bronzes and medals. Moreover,
on any other occasion, Tillemont would not have
considered their opinion of any value ; he only quotes
it here because it helps to prove his assertions. As
to the Greeks, who did not know the Acts of St. Cecilia
before the ninth century, and who refer her martyr-
dom to the persecution of Diocletian, this is the only
occasion upon which Tillemont quotes their books
which are proverbial for their extreme imperfection
and open in many points to criticism. In this case,
they are evidently wrong, since they relate the inter-
views between Cecilia and Pope Urban who governed
the Church fifty years before Diocletian.

We frequently find this arbitrary use of the rules
of criticism in Tillemont's work. The reader has
already seen the Hymn we copied from the Gothic
Breviary ; it is a perfect abridgment of our Acts,
and by its antiquity, of sufficient importance to
confirm them Tillemont does not deign to notice
it, whereas he mentions in the following terms a
Hymn of the same liturgy, which embodies the Acts
of St. Marciana. " We have a hymn to St. Marciana,
taken from the Gothic or Mozarabic Breviary of
Toledo, and from the Acts given by Bollandus. We
cannot assert that these Acts are original, since they
seem to have been written several years after the
death of the Saint, and contain some particulars which

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 343

give us reason to doubt their truth. However, the
Hymn found in the Breviary of Toledo, is sufficiently
ancient and beautiful to authorize us in receiving the
Acts."* The Acts of St. Marciana are not certainly
wanting in authority; nevertheless they are far from
aaving been so universally received as those of St.
Cecilia ; the details in them were never so publicly
known ; nor are they confirmed by such striking
monuments ; and still Tillemont is very liberal to
them, and disdainfully rejects the others.

This author, not satisfied with trying to invalidate
the chronology of our Acts, also attacks them in their
topographical bearing. We will cite the words of
this celebrated critic. "It is very singular," he says,
"that both the Greeks and Latins mention St. Cecilia
as being a Roman, even the Martyrologies attributed
to St. Jerome ; whereas Fortunatus, who is probably
our most ancient author upon these subjects, places
her in Sicily :

CJECILIAM SICULA PKOFERT, SELEUCIA TECLAM.

" Neither he, nor any one else, says that she was
a native of Sicily, for we see, from St. Thecla and
others, that Fortunatus only mentions that island as
the place of her death. It is probable, therefore, that
she was martyred there, and that her body having
been carried to Rome in the early ages, some have
called her a Roman, from this circumstance, as in the
case of St. Sabina, who died at Umbria ; others be-
lieved that she lived and died in Rome, and conse-

* Memoircs, tome v. page 2G3.

34-i LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

quently composed her Acts upon this supposition,
probably transforming a Governor and a Bishop of
Sicily into a Prefect of Eome and a Pope. It is
certain that this would be easy for those who have
not received the love of truth. r f

Conformably to the doctrines of Port Koyal, which
the author exposes with so much naivete, a writer
is truthful or deceitful in his narrations, not ac-
cording to his own free will, but according to whether
he has or has not received the love of truth. Such
doctrines should render those who believe in them,
indulgent to false writers, and historical imposters;
they should not reject them with too much disdain ;
but should wait patiently for the love of truth to de-
scend into them, and render them sincere and faith-
ful, without their own co-operation. We who are
Catholics and believe man to be endowed with per-
sonal responsibility, find it difficult to recognize in
Tillemont that love of truth which he refuses to the
compiler of St. Cecilia's Acts, and we do not hesitate
to call him to an account for it. He agrees that all
the authors who mention St. Cecilia call her a Roman,
and yet all these venerable names are effaced by that
of a single individual, Fortunatus, Bishop of Poic-
tiers. And what do we find in his writings, so con-
clusive as to overthrow the testimony of ages ?
One single line of poetry ! And that line, defective
in quantity, which naturally leads us to suppose the
copyist in fault, at least in some degree. On the
authority of this one line, Tillemont would have us
believe that St. Cecilia died in Sicily, because,

* Memoirs, tome iii. page 690.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 345

forsooth, " Fortunatus is probably the most ancient
author who speaks of the holy martyr !" This prob-
ably is, to Tillemont's mind, sufficiently weighty to
counterbalance the Martyrology attributed to St.
Jerome; the Leonian, Gelasian, Ambrosian and Gal-
ilean Sacramentaries ; the Papal Chronicle of Felix
IV., and all the historical monuments of St. Cecilia,
founded upon the Acts, and prior to Fortunatus.

But even supposing the famous line to be original,
does Tillemont know of what Cecilia, Fortunatus
speaks ? It is very certain that the Bishop does not
say. Many learned Sicilians, among others Octavio
Gaetano, who have written the lives of the Saints
of Sicily, have frankly acknowledged that they could
not find the slightest vestige of a St. Cecilia, born
or martyred on that island ; or even of one whose
relics had been brought there. It is therefore
natural to think that, if Fortunatus composed this
line, he erred ; or perhaps he confounded one island
of the Mediterranean with another. There was a
St. Cecilia martyred at Cagliari in Sardinia;* the
similarity of name may have led to this mistake.
However this may be, the spirit of system alone,
could transform into an oracle these unexplained
words of an author who wrote at a distance from the
theatre of events, and whose words had passed un-
noticed for more than a thousand years.

But Tillemont not only prefers this solitary line
of poetry, to the unanimous testimony of Roman
authors, both anterior and posterior to Fortunatus;
but, with it for his guide, he proceeds to relate Ce-

* Macedo. Dc Divia tuUlaribm orbit christian^ pftge 215.

28

316 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

cilia's history. He cannot deny that hei body is at
Eome ; but he explains this circumstance by an
imaginary translation of her relics, which was never
heard of before. That the Saint suffered in Sicily,
he deems incontestably proved by Fortunatus' words.
It is equally certain that her body is now in Eome.
Therefore it must have been carried thither. This
is Tillemont's proposition. Now for his proof. St.
Sabina, who suffered martyrdom in Umbria, was
transported to the capital of the Christian Avorld.*
Wherefore, Cecilia's body may also have been trans-
lated thither. Such is the logic of this relentless
critic of Cecilia's Acts.

The above reasoning, however, is opposed by a
grave difficulty, which Port Eoyal did not perceive
in the exultation of its triumph. The body of St.
Sabina was indeed brought to Eome ; but it was for
the purpose of being honorably placed in a church
built under the invocation of the saint, upon Mount
Aventine. St. John Chrysostom was also transferred
from Constantinople, to St. Peter's in Eome; St.
Jerome from Bethlehem to St. Mary Major; and
many other foreign saints to the different churches
of the same city ; but besides the fact of history hav-
ing preserved the memory of all these translations,
altars and Basilicas awaited these sacred remains.
St. Cecilia, on the contrary, arrives, and no one is
aware of her coming ; this great martyr, to whom
Sicily with regret confesses itself a stranger, comes
nevertheless, from that island, and the Eoman Church
which coveted her relics, thinks them of so little im-

* Memoires, tome iii . page 690.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 847

portance, that she buries them in the depths of a
crypt on the Appian Way. She inscribes Cecilia's
name in the Canon of her Mass, and yet clandes-
tinely conceals her sacred body, brought from such
a distance, in a vault, where Tillemont is forced to
acknowledge, Paschal found it in the beginning of
the ninth century, together with Sts. Tiburtius, Vale-
rian, and Maximus, who were, it is to be presumed,
brought from Sicily with the holy virgin.

Is not this nonsensical? Is it not humiliating to
see Catholics carried away by such reasoning, in
spite of the most convincing proofs of its falsehood ?

But Tillemont does not stop here. Since he has
received the love of truth more than any one who lived
during the twelve centuries when Cecilia was sup-
posed to be a Eoman virgin, we naturally expect
him to explain to us how it was that Urban was
transformed from a Sicilian bishop into a Pope, and
Turcius Almachius, from a governor of Sicily, into
a Roman prefect. But Tillemont contents himself
with asserting this transformation; he does not con-
descend to prove it. We must then conclude that
the compiler of the Acts is an impostor, and that
Port Eoyal is an infallible judge of places and
persons no matter how ancient. Nothing remains
now but to assign the date of this famous translation
upon which the system depends. It must have taken

place before the end of the fifth century, since Tille-
mont says that, during the, Pontificate of Pope Sym«
machus, there was a ehureh of St. Cecilia in Rome.*
Otherwise it would he Impossible to explain why the

* Memoirs, tOH16 iii . ]>:t;'«' 690,

348 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

saint "had not been placed in her church. There was
however, remarks Tillemont, time enough to bring
her relics to Rome, between the cessation of the per-
secutions and the pontificate of Symmachus, and the
fact of no one having heard of this Translation, does
not prevent its having taken place. It is astounding
to find so intelligent and learned a man as Tillemont
ignorant of the fact that the very existence of a
Church of St. Cecilia in Rome, is a sufficient proof
that she lived in that city ; yet Tillemont must have
known that at the period of which he was writing,
the canonical rules forbade the erecting of churches
in honor of saints, except in those places where their
relics reposed, or which had been sanctified by their
lives and sufferings. Now, in the time of Pope Sym-
machus, the virgin's body was reposing in the Cata-
combs; the trans-Tiberian Basilica was, therefore a
monument which commemorated her residence in
Eome, and also, as we learn from her Acts, and from
tradition, marked the place of her martyrdom. It
was, therefore, useless to imagine the translation of
Cecilia's body, together with those of her companions,
from the isle of Sicily to the Catacombs of Rome,
unless the origin of this church was first accounted
for. We are perfectly willing to agree that the
bodies of foreign martyrs were brought to Rome after
the persecution, and deposited in the Catacombs, pro-
vided it be proved that previous to this time, no
church in Rome had been dedicated to them. But
we have lost sufficient time over these Jansenistic
fancies. Their boldness and cunning will not sur-
prise those who are acquainted with the subterfuges

LIFE OP SAINT CECILIA. 349

of this wily sect ; but the above remarks may pre-
vent others less informed, from being deceived by
the plausible statements of the Jansenist authors, who
for more than a century, have monopolized, in France,
the compilation of works upon the history of Christi-
anity.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

CONTINUATION OP THE SAME SUBJECT.

We must now consider the objections to the Acts
of St. Cecilia, which Tillemont pretends to find in
these Acts, considered in themselves. This discus-
sion will not be less instructive than the preceding.

We will begin with the critic's own words : " These
Acts are composed of extraordinary miracles, and
other matters which have little appearance of truth.
The discourses are long. There are, indeed, some
beautiful passages, evidently taken from Tertullian ;
but he who wrote them should have learned from
the same author to treat princes with more respect."*

Hence, sound criticism must reject the Acts of St.
Cecilia on account of the extraordinary miracles re-
corded therein ! Had Tillemont plainly said that the
conversion of the Pagan world to Christianity, was
effected without miracles, Ave could refer him to the'
illustrious Doctor St. Augustin, who would teach him
that in that case, so incomprehensible a transforma-
tion would be the greatest of miracles. But Tille-

* Memoirs, tome in. page 089.

350 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

mont does not deny miracles in general ; he merely
distinguishes between those which he calls extraordi-
nary, and those which he deems ordinary. Unfortun-
nately, he has left us no theoretical rules whereby we
may discern one from the other. We have no re-
source left but to study his manner of appreciating
supernatural facts.

Let us first remark that this critic admits all the
miracles contained in the genuine Acts of Dom
Euinart. He cannot, however, deny that this authen-
tic collection contains many miracles more extraor-
dinary^ to use his own expression, than those related
in the Acts of St. Cecilia. The latter are among the
most simple recorded in the annals of primitive
Christianity. Nothing more than the apparition of
St. Paul and several visions of Angels. We learn
from Origen, who wrote at that time, and who was
certainly not a weak minded man, that such appari-
tions were very frequent. Tertullian, a contemporary
of Origen, attests that the greater part of those who
embraced Christianity were converted by visions.*

Tillemont relates and admits all the facts of this
nature mentioned in the Acts of Sts. Vincent, Agnes,
Theodotus of Ancyra, etc. Most of these appari-
tions are much more marvellous than those recorded
in the Acts of- St. Cecilia. Is it reasonable then to
contest the latter ? Beside the apparitions there is no
mention in the Acts of any miracle except the
prolongation of Cecilia's life after the severe wounds
inflicted by the lictor's sword. Were these wounds

* Major pene vis liominum visionibus Deum discunt De
anima, cap xlvii.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 351

sufficiently serious to produce death in a short time?
We think so. But, however this may be, it should
not surprise Tillemont who must remember that the
Acts of Dom Euinart, all of which he admits,
frequently speak of Martyrs, whose bodies, rendered
invulnerable by divine power, resisted all torments ;
whose dislocated limbs and gaping wounds were
often suddenly and miraculously healed, filling the
Pagans with rage and confusion.

The principles of the Port Eoyal School paved the
way for those of anti-christian rationalism. To refuse
to believe in miracles because they are extraordinary,
is senseless logic, since a miracle is only a miracle
from the fact of being extraordinary. For this reason,
supernatural facts are not proved by internal evidence,
but by human testimony. Can we measure the limits
of God's Omnipotence ? What answer will Tillemont
make to those whose rejection of the Bible, is grounded
on the very argument which he addresses against the
truth of Cecilia's Acts, viz. : that the miracles men-
tioned therein, are too extraordinary to be believed ?

Our critic brings forward the lengthy discourses
in the Acts of St. Cecilia, as another argument
against them. He probably desires to infer that
such lengthy discourses could not have been pre-
served; but this reasoning might carry him too far.
To be consistent, he must begin by rejecting the
genuine Acts of Saints Pionius, Victor of Marseilles,
Philip of Heraclius, Patrick, etc, all of which he
admits, and which, nevertheless, contain longer dis-
courses than those of St. Cecilia's Acts.

Even though it be granted for a moment that

352 ^ IFE 0F SAINT CECILIA.

these discourses have no historical value, would this
concession invalidate the Acts themselves? This
would be treating the Acts of the Martyrs with more
severity than has ever been shown to any of the
historians of antiquity. The latter have embellished
their writings with harangues of their own composi-
tion ; no one ever questioned their veracity on this
account. Is historical pyrrhonism to be our rule,
only when examining the history of Christianity ?

The sole discourse of considerable length in the Acts,
is the harangue to Tiburtius, when Cecilia explains
to him the Christian faith. Tiburtius may have
committed this discourse to writing. It would not
be the first time that a man has thus preserved words
which have deeply impressed his mind and heart. In
such occasions, which are not so rare as Tillemont
imagines, the memory may sometimes be at fault ;
but the writer who has thus noted down his remem-
brances, knows that his account is a faithful one, be-
cause it gives the sense of the discourse and the
thoughts which have most forcibly struck him.
Besides, this speech had an historical bearing ; the
conversion of Tiburtius, which was due to Cecilia,
was an event in the history of the Eoman Church,
and well merited a page in the annals of Christian
Borne. Would it not be more surprising if it had
not been handed down to posterity ?

The rest of the Acts contain rather dialogues than
discourses. The questions and replies in the interro-
gatory do not exceed the length of those found in the
Acts published by Dom Euinart. Valerian's parable
is long ; but improvisations of equal length are fre

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA, 353

quently found in the most authentic interrogatories.
The Registrars noted down all that the martyrs said ;
whilst the notaries of the Church compiled their Acts
upon notes made by faithful persons, accustomed to
the charge ; in many cases, the official interrogatories
were purchased with money. The Christians valued
every word uttered by the martyrs before the judges,
considering them as inspired by the Holy Ghost, ac-
cording to the promise of our Saviour in the Gospel :
"And you shall be brought before governors, and
before kings, for my sake. But when they shall
deliver you up, be not thoughtful how or what to
speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what
to speak. For it is not you that speak, but the spirit
of your Father that speaketh in you."*

Tillemont could not avoid seeing the beauty of our
Acts, and the acknowledgement of it involuntarily
escaped his pen ; but he found an ingenious means
of turning this remark against the probity of the
historian: " There are some beautiful passages," he
says, " but evidently taken from Tertullian," imply-
ing that the narrator made use of Tertullian in com-
posing the speeches of his heroes. It is very true
that some points of resemblance may be found between
the Apology of the eloquent African and the dia-
logues and responses of the interrogatories ; but what
inference can be drawn from this except an additional
confirmation of the truth of the Acts ?

At this time, all Rome was speaking of that mag-
nificent Defence of Christianity, which, combining
all the arguments of preceding Apologies, had ele-

* Matt, x 18-20.

354 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

"vated the Christian cause to the highest degree of
moral grandeur. It was only natural, therefore, that
the Christians, in their replies to the magistrates of
the Empire, should repeat the energetic sentences
which had so lately thrilled the Senate. Our heroes
were contemporaries of Tertullian, and, consequently,
might have spoken like him ; but we find it difficult
to believe that the compiler of the Acts, whose care-
less and unadorned style bears no resemblance to the
powerful diction of the Apology, could even have
conceived the idea of borrowing from such a master-
piece.

Tillemont considers Cecilia's manner of addressing
the prefect, and her invectives against the princes,
another improbable circumstance. Her freedom of
language scandalized him, and we can readily under-
stand that more than one Catholic in the reign of
Louis XIV., thought it a sufficient argument for
rejecting Acts in which Christian liberty is so fear-
lessly proclaimed. This may be accounted for by a
confusion of ideas which had become prevalent, re-
specting the spirit and manners of the early Christ-
ians, a confusion which still exists in many minds.
A more liberal appreciation of the actions and words
of the saints, would have enabled the world to under-
stand, that if it be glorious to suffer death with the
meekness of a lamb, led to the slaughter,* it is no
less glorious to protest against iniquity, and to de
nounce to earthly rulers, the nullity of their rights,
and the injustice of their actions, when they use
against God and His Church, that power which they

* Isaiah, liii. 7.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 355

could not have received unless it had been given
them from above.

Moreover, Cecilia did not in her energetic replies,
spit in the face of her judge, as Eulalia did ;* nor did
she, like St Andronicus, answer the prefect who re-
proached him with insulting the Emperors : " Yes, I
have cursed and will curse these Emperors who
overturn the world in their thirst for blood. May
God overthrow them with His mighty arm ; may He
crush and annihilate them ; may He visit them with
His anger, that they may know of what crimes they
are guilty in persecuting the Christians."!

Is it necessary to give other examples? Julian,
uncle of the Apostate, and created by him governor
of the province of the East, when cruelly tormenting
St. Theodoret, a priest of the Church of Antiocb,
dared to demand his obedience to the Emperor's
edict, by quoting the following text of Scripture :
" The hearts of kings are in the hand of God." The
martyr replied : " These words are written of a king
who knows and serves God, but not of a tyrant who
adores and serves idols." "Fool!" exclaimed the
governor, " doyou dare to call the emperor a tyrant ?"J

* Martyr ad ista nihil : sed enim
Infremit, inque tyranni oculos
Sputa jacit.
Ruinart. Acta sincera. Martyrium S. 'Eulalice Virginia, p. 499.
\ Ego maledixi et inaledico potestates, et sanguibibulos qui
saeculum everterunt, quos Deus brachio suo alto evertat, et
conterat, et perdat, et det super eos iram ; ut seiant quid agant
in servos Dei. Ruinart. Acta SS. Taracki, Prohi ei Andronici^
page 487.

t Julianus dixit : Vol nunc time deOS, et fao qua al> Impera-
tore sunt jussa, quia soriptum est tibi : Cor. regis in man* Dei,
Theodoritus respondit : Cos Regis cognosoentie Deum soriptum

35G LIFE 0F SAIXT CECILIA.

14 If he gives such orders as you say, and if he be the
man you represent him," answered Theodoret, " he
is not only a tyrant, but the most wretched of men."
Christian liberty was no less fearlessly asserted in
the peaceful days that succeeded the age of -Persecu-
tions. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, in his sublime invec-
tive against Constantius, branded this prince with
the name of tyrant, and did not fear to add : " What
I say to thee, Constantius, I would have said to Nero.
Decius and Maximian* should have heard it from my
lips." We find in every century, similar traits of
courage. The recital of them would startle the uni-
versal effeminacy of the present generation. We
need to study diligently, the manners of our ances-
tors in the faith, who so generously defended that
precious deposit, which we find it so difficult to pre-
serve. These public protestations of Christian liberty,
far exceed Cecilia's courageous replies to Almachius,
which Tillemont considers a proof of the falsity of
her Acts. He nevertheless, defends the holy audacity
of St. Andronicus, and is only scandalized when he
encounters that same audacity in a much milder
form in the Acts of St. Cecilia. We will cite his
own words : " We find in nearly all the authentic
histories of the martyrs, now extant, that they were
very respectful to the sovereign powers, and practised

est esse in manu Dei, non cor tyranni adorantis idola. Julianus
dixit : Stulte, tyrannum vocas Imperatorem. Theodoritus res-
pondit : Si talia jubet, et talis est ut dicis : non solum tyrannus
ditendus est, sed miserrimus omnium hominum. Passio sancti
2'heodoriti, page 659.

* Proclamo tibi, Constanti, quod Neroni locuturus fuissem,
quod ex me Decius et Maximianus audiront. Adversus Constant
tium, lib. i. page 113.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA 357

that meekness so frequently recommended by St. Paul.
But St. Paul himself fearlessly called his judge a whited
wall, and threatened him with the anger of God. St.
Stephen, and even our Saviour, speak to the Jews
with seeming harshness. The frightful cruelties
practised against the Christians were sufficient to ex-
cite the just indignation of the martyrs. These
Saints hated what God hates, without losing their
repose and tranquillity of soul, and they are not to
be blamed for expressing their condemnation of what
they felt to be wrong. We speak of the fire, as well
as of the oil, of charity ; and the more justice is loved,
the greater zeal and horror is felt for injustice. It
is certain that God acted and suffered too visibly in
His saints, to permit us to doubt for a moment that
His spirit was with them, according to His promise.
Therefore we cannot but respect the apparent harsh-
ness of their words, although this harshness should
not be unadvisedly imitated, lest impatience, bitter-
ness, or hatred, rather than zeal for God and for jus-
tice, should actuate us in following this example of
the Saints."*

In thus exposing the entire system of Tillemont
in its bearing upon the Acts of St. Cecilia, we think
we have enabled the reader to estimate the value
of the criticism and the intention of the critic. We
are writing in a country where many honest men
persist in considering Jansenism as only a system
of exaggerated morality. This is not the place to
explain to such men to what an extent the dogmas

* Memoires pour servir a l'Histoire Boclesiastique, tom<> v.,
page 286.

29

358 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

of this sect, condemned by the Church, are opposed
to Catholicity. Let them study the history of Catho-
lic truth and the perils to which it has been exposed
from a heresy which so artfully insinuates the most
odious theories of Calvin. In a question of mere
criticism, our duty is simply to remove all doubts
concerning the truth of an historical narrative, dear
to the Church and to the faithful at all times, for the
santification of Christian souls. It does not enter
into our plan to expose the reasons which have in-
duced the Jansenists to suppress all the precious,
charming, and soul-inspiring traditions offered by the
Catholic Church to her children ; we prefer con-
cluding this chapter with the beautiful words of St.
Paul to the Philippians : " Finally, brethren, what-
soever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things
are of good report ; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things." Phil,
iv., 8.

CHAPTER XXXVII

EVENTS RELATING to CECILIA AND HER BASILICA THROUGHOUT THE
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

It is refreshing to return from the field of contro-
versy and rest for a moment under the shadow of our
dear Basilica, so justly proud of its noble treasure.
In the first half of the eighteenth century, it was
entrusted to two titulary Cardinals, who gloried in

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 359

imitating the munificence of Paul Emilius Sfondrato.
The first was Francis Aquaviva, born of an illustrious
Neapolitan family. Before receiving the purple, he
had occupied with distinction several important offices
of the Eoman Court. He was sent as Nuncio to
Spain, where he faithfully fulfilled the duties of his
elevated and important mission. He was residing in
that country when the war of the Succession broke
out. Aquaviva embraced the cause of Philip V.,
who reposed such confidence in his devotedness and
firmness, that at one time, when he was trembling
for his crown, he entrusted to the Nuncio's care the
Queen Maria Louisa of Savoy. Aquaviva, with an
escort of five hundred cavaliers, traversed the hostile
territory, and never left the queen until he had placed
her in safety from the scene of war*

Created Cardinal by Clement on the 17th of May u
1706, he was at first appointed Titulary of St. Bar-
tholomew's Church on the island; but three years
after > he changed this church for that of St. Cecilia,
on account of his great devotion to this holy Martyr.
The Basilica at this period needed a restoration
which Aquaviva executed according to the prevail-
ing taste. Sfondrato had at one time conceived the
idea of concealing the wood work of the nave by a
rich soffit, ornamented with gilded panels and paint-
ings; but he was deterred by the fear that the columns
were not sufficiently strong to support this additional
weight. Aquaviva made the experiment and suc-
ceeded perfectly. The soffit, which still exists, was

* Gtuarnaooi, tome li., p. 73.

360 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

painted and decorated by Sebastian Conca * Un-
fortunately it was impossible to execute the plan
without nearly destroying the antique and venerable
aspect of the Basilica. The columns were totally
concealed by heavy masonry, and the nave was trans-
formed into a series of arches. The triumphal arch
was sacrificed together with its mosaics; and the
paintings representing the succession of the Popes,
and scenes from the Old and New Testament, painted
by order of Psfechal and restored by Sfondrato, were
irretrievably annihilated "to the deep regret of the
amateurs of venerable antiquity," says Marangoni,
who witnessed this deplorable ruin. This same
author likewise tells us that the antique inscriptions
forming the pavement, many of which were Chris-
tian, w r ere pitilessly destroyed.f This restoration,
m which might have been more wisely planned, was
nevertheless a testimony of the Cardinal's devotion
to Saint Cecilia. He faithfully prayed at the mar-
tyr's tomb, and had the consolation of seeing his own
mother and his niece join the community of religious
who took charge of this sanctuary. He w r as so re-
nowned for his piety towards the illustrious virgin,
that the Queen of Spain desiring to offer him a pre-
sent as a proof of her esteem and gratitude, sent him a
picture of St. Cecilia which she had painted herself.^

* Platner and Bunsen err in attributing the destruction of the
portico paintings, and the taking away of the ambons, to the
two Cardinals Aquaviva.

| Non senza dolore degliamanti della venerabile antichita.
Marangoni Cose gentilesche ad uso delle chiese, p. 311.

t For this fact see Laderchi in his dedicatory epistle of the
Acts of St. Cecilia to the same Cardinal.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 361

The great works undertaken in the Basilica by-
Paul Emilius Sfondrato, had inspired Bosio with the
idea of editing his Acts of St. Cecilia; the labors of
Francis Aquaviva suggested to James Laderchi of
the Roman Oratory, the thought of offering the
Cardinal a more complete life of the holy Martyr.
His intention was to insert, century by century, all
that had been written concerning St. Cecilia, the
whole to be comprised in three quarto volumes ; only
the first two appeared. They are entitled : S. Caeci-
liae Virginiset Marty ris Acta et trans-Tiberina Basi-
lica, sseculorum singulorum monumentis asserta et
illustrata, 1723. The author reproduces Bosio's work,
literally introducing, in chronological order, all the
documents and quotations which refer to his subject.
This work, which has become very rare even in
Italy, is remarkable for its typographical beauty ; it
is much to be regretted that the two volumes given
to the public, do not bring us down to the Invention
of Cecilia's body in 1599. The notes added by the
compiler, are unfortunately few in number. The
third volume was intended to embrace many details,
the loss of which we must deeply regret. Notwith-
standing this, Laderchi merits, by this important
compilation, a distinguished place among the authors
who have dedicated their efforts to the glory of
Saint Cecilia. Two years had scarcely elapsed after
the publication of the first volume of this work,
when Francis Aquaviva died, on the eighth of Janu-
ary, 1725. He had been elevated to the Suburbioary
Bishopric of Sabina ; but Benedicl XIIL had per-
mitted him to retain in commcmlam, as Paul Kmilius

29*

362 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Sfondrato had done, the Presbyterial Title of St
Cecilia. Aquaviva was interred in this Church near
his uncle, Cardinal Octavio who had been Titulary
of the Basilica in the preceding century. The follow-
ing epitaph was placed over his tomb :

FRANCISVS S. E. E. CARDINALIS DE ACQVAYIVA

ET ARAGONIA EPlSCOPVS SABINENSIS

HVIVS ECCLESI^E COMMENDATARIVS

SACRIQVE CCENOBII

AC OMNIVM HISPANIC REGNORVM

APVD SANCTAM SEDEM PROTECTOR.

IN TEMPLO DECOREM DILEXIT ET AVXIT.

PROPE CARDINALIS OCTAVII

PATRVI SVI CINERES HIC MONVMENTYM

SIBI VIVENS POSVIT

ANNO IVBILiEI MDCCXXV.

OBIIT DIE VIII. MENSIS JANVARII MDCCXXV.

JETATIS SV^E AN. LIX. MENS. XI. DIE. XXV.

Trojano Aqua viva, a nephew of Francis, was pro-
moted to the Cardinalate by Clement XII., on the 1st
October, 1732. The same Pope appointed him
Titulary of St. Cecilia.* He appears to have con-
tinued the works commenced by his uncle in the
Basilica ; it is certain that the exterior porch, which
was constructed upon the plan of Ferdinand Fuga,
is due to his munificence.f The porch is quite
modern, but not wanting in grandeur. We should
at least give credit to the different restorers of the
Basilica, for having respected the old brick cupola

* He died on the 21st of March. 1747, and was buried in the
Church of St. Cecilia.

t Platner and Bunsen, tome iii. p. 639.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 363

which towers above all their modern constructions,
as a memorial of the devotion of the middle age
towards Cecilia. They have also faithfully preserved
the interior arrangement of the edifice, which even
since the taking away of the ambons and the substi-
tuting of arcades for columns, bears a strong resem-
blance to the Christian Churches of the primitive
ages.

In the year, 1729, the sanctuary of St. Cecilia, on
the Campus Martius, attracted the attention of the
Eoman Pontiff. The little Church was falling into
ruins ; it needed rebuilding. Benedict XIIL, who
proved his devotion to the Saints by many monuments
still existing in Eome, was unwilling to yield to
another the honor of laying the corner stone of the
new edifice. In thus venerating the dwelling where
Cecilia had passed her youth, he thought it his duty
to favor the devotion testified by a confraternity in
honor of St. Blaise, to one of the altars of this Church.
The Pontiff ordered that the new temple should be
placed under the joint invocation of St. Cecilia and
St. Blaise; and as if to prove, that in admitting
another Saint to share the honor of the great Martyr,
he intended no disparagement to the latter, he
decided that the Church should bear the name of the
Queen of Virgins. From that time, it was called:
Santa Maria del divino amove: An inscription placed
in the nave of this Church, records the Pontiff's
intention. It is as follows :

BENEDICTO XIII. l'ONT. OPT. MAX.

QVOD

PATEliNAM DIVA!: OAECILIAB DOMVM

364 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

IN EIVSDEM VIRGINIS ET MARTYRIS HONOREM

ET DIVI BLASSTI DICTAM

KNIVBIA TEMPORVM PEXE COLLAPSAM

IACTO SOLEMNITER PRIMO LAPIDE

DIE XXV. IVLII. ANNO MDCCXXIX.

A FVN DA MENTIS RESTITVERIT

ET DEIPARAE MARIAE SACRAM QVOQVE

IN POSTERVM ESSE IVSSERIT.*

The Pontiff removed to the sacristy, the charming
fresco of the fifteenth century, which we have already
mentioned; as well as a marble tablet discovered in
1504, in rebuilding the principal altar of this sanc-
tuary. This tablet bore an inscription, attesting a
consecration of the Church of St. Cecilia de domo, on
the Campus Martius, in the year 1131, probably the
period at which it was rebuilt. The zeal of the pious
confraternity, which assembled in this church, led it
to perpetuate the memory of these facts :

VETVSTISSIMAM IMAGINEM

AC LAPIDEM HVNC CONSECRATIONIS

ANTIQVAE HVIVS ECCLESIAE

S. CAECILIAE VIRG-. ET Iff.

ANNO MCXXXI PERACTAE TESTEM

SVB EIVSDEM ARA MAXIMA

ANNO MDIV REPERTVM

BENEDICTVS XIII P. M. ORD. PRAEDICAT.

* To Benedict XIII. a great and good Pontiff, for having rebuilt
the paternal dwelling of S. Cecilia, consecrated in honor of this
Virgin and of St. Blaise ; for having on the 25th of July, 1729,
solemnly laid the first stone, the ancient edifice having been
almost entirely destroyed by the ravages of time ; and for having
decreed that the Church should, henceforth be dedicated to
Mary, the Mother of God

LIFE OF SAINT CECTLTA. 3g5

ANNO MDCCXXIX
HVG TRANSFERRI MANDAVIT *

Another glorious fact relating to St. Cecilia and
proving at the same time the homage rendered by-
France to the great martyr, may be referred to the
year 1741. Our readers have not forgotten the mys-
terious tomb of the Callistus Cemetery, where Cecilia
reposed for six centuries, until Paschal transferred
her remains to the trans-Tiberian Basilica. This
humble cell, excavated horizontally in the tufo, was
lined with four slabs of white marble. In 1741, the
upper one, which had been solidly fastened to the
stone with a thick coating of lime, was the only one
left.

Paul Hippolytede Bovilliers, Duke of St. Aignan,
Ambassador from the King of France to the Holy
See, in his ardent devotion to St. Cecilia, solicited
and obtained from Benedict XIV., the favor of re-
moving to his private chapel in France, this piece
of marble, which had been sanctified by the presence
of the virgin's body. The marble was respectfully
detached in presence of two learned Eoman archae-
ologists, Boldetti and Marangoni, and presented to
the Duke of St. Aignan. Guadagni, the Cardinal
Vicar, affixed his seal to it ;f and the precious monu-

* Benedict XIII., the Sovereign Pontiff, transferred this paint-
ing to this place, as well as the stone attesting the consecration
of this antique church of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr, in the
year 1131 ; the stone was discovered in 1504, under the main
altar.

f The marble was in two pieces, having probably been frac-
tured in detaching it from the wall. It was a Little over live
feet long, and somewhat more than two feel broad.

36(5 LIFK OF SAINT CECILIA.

ment was carried to France, and deposited in the
chapel of a castle, belonging to the family of Bovil-
liers, where it is still preserved. We find the pre-
ceding facts in a document of great interest under the
name of Cardinal Guadagni * We are most happy
to mention these testimonies of the piety of France
towards St. Cecilia, at a period when Jansenism was
endeavoring to blot out her very memory from
among us.

Tillemont's principles were carried to scandalous
lengths by Adrian Baillet, in his " Lives of the
Saints,'' published in 1701. A prudent and learned
writer recently said, in regard to certain insinuations
by which Baillet seemed desirous of sapping the
truth of evangelical facts: " These assertions would
be sufficient to create serious doubts respecting the
orthodoxy of the writer, if it were not notorious that
he has frequently sacrificed historical truth to the
interest of the sect whose principles he advocates ;
and were it not also well known that by his bold
freedom of thought and expression, he prepares the
minds of his partisans for open infidelity."f

This is not the place to examine the character of

. Baillet's genius, such as we find it in his biographies

of Descartes,;]: Eicher,§ and in his account of the

difficulties between Boniface VIII. and Philip the

Fair;|| nor to speak of his work upon " Devotion to

* See the certificate in Marangoni, Cose gentilesche ad uso
delle Chiese, page 426-429.

t Unpublished Memoirs upon the Apostolate of St. Mary
Magdalen, vol. ii. p. 154.

X 1691. Two volumes in 4°

§ 1714. " " " 12°

I 1717. " " " 12°

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 367

the Blessed Virgin, and the veneration which should
be paid her ;"* but we must acknowledge that his
" Lives of the Saints," replete with erudition and
with errors, influenced the public much more than the
Memoirs of Tillemont. Although all the works of
Baillet are on the Eoman Index, this author still
ranks in France as the highest authority in all matters
pertaining to hagiography. Happily, his influence
has been somewhat lessened in our days by the transla-
tion of Alban Butler's " Lives of the Saints."

Baillet's article upon St. Cecilia, is nothing more
than a violent tirade, in which he reproduces with
his accustomed acrimony, the objections of Tillemont.
We would fear to soil our pages by quoting his con-
temptuous and disdainful expressions in speaking of
a Spouse and Martyr of Christ, whose name is daily
pronounced in the Holy Sacrifice. Baillet mentions,
however, Sfondrato's discovery of Cecilia's body, and
declares that the account of this discovery, is the
most ancient record we have of her. But he relates
the circumstances of this event in a very abridged
manner ; frequently deviating from the truth, as if
he feared to meet with some confirmation of the Acts
whose authority he wished to destroy.f

* 1694. Two volumes in 12°

f The only argument produced by him against the Acts, and
neglected by Tillemont, consists in saying: "That the Roman
Calendar arranged under Pope Liberius, about the middle of
the fourth century, makes no mention of Cecilia ; which show-/'
he adds, "that she did not sutler martyrdom in Rome." It is
easy to prove that this objection has no weight. This Calendar,
although very valuable, does not represent the oomplete Mar-
tyrology of the Roman Church in the fourth century. It is true
that Cecilia is not mentioned; but neither are the holy Topes

368 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

But the influence of Tillemont and Bailiet pro-
duced one fatal result which they had not probably
anticipated. Not only, thanks to their efforts, did
the name of St. Cecilia lose in France the aureole of
glory which had hitherto surrounded it, but the
moment had arrived when even the Liturgy took
part in this singular conspiracy against the holy mar-
tyr.

Until then, the Eoman tradition of the Divine
Office had held full sway in France, and, conse-
quently, the glory of Cecilia shone with undiminished
lustre within the precincts of the Church. But in
the eighteenth century, the French Liturgy was
revised, and all those saints excluded who were
not honorably mentioned by Tillemont and Bailiet.

In 1680, the Archbishop of Paris, F?anoois de
Harley, had appointed a committee to correct the
Breviary of his church. The Abbe Chastelain, who
was the soul of this committee, insisted upon retain-
ing the record of St. Cecilia's life, with the Anthems
and Eesponses taken from her Acts. This will not
appear strange, if we remember the intimacy exist-
ing between Chastelain and Father Papebrook, both
bold critics, but far removed from the scandalous
audacity of the Jansenistic school. The Jesuits of
Anvers, as we before stated, had pronounced in favor

Linus, Cletus, Evaristus, Alexander, Telesphorus, Hyginus,
Anicetus, Soter, Eleutherius, etc., nor the holy martyrs Proces-
sus and Martinian, Nereus and Achilleus, Primus and Felicianus,
Marcellinus and Peter, Boniface, Chrysogonus, etc., nor the
holy virgins, Flavia, Domitilla, Petronilla, Prisca, Praxedes,
Pudentiana, etc., nor the holy women Symphorosa, Felicitas, etc.
Bailiet agrees, nevertheless, that all these saints belonged to
the Church of Rome.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 3G9

of our Acts, that they were both ancient and genuine.
Owing to the influence of these two learned and
strong-minded men, the record of St. Cecilia's life
was retained in the Parisian Liturgy.*

But when this generation of learned men had de-
scended into the tomb, and when the Church of Paris
had called upon sectaries to revise her Breviary, all
the Catholic traditions relating to St. Cecilia were
sacrificed. The instincts of the sect and the oracles
of Port Eoyal, required it. The Parisian Breviary
of 1736, contained a record of St. Cecilia's life, which
was successively introduced into the greater number
of the Dioceses of France. In it, the actions of St.
Cecilia are passed over in silence. There is some
mention in the latter part, of the Invention of Ceci-
lia's body by Sfondrato, but it is given according to
the inaccurate relation of Bailiet.

From that time, these heroic scenes, blotted out
from the Breviary of the priests, were never recalled
to the memory of the faithful. The abridged L
of the- Saints were thenceforth compiled according to
the same plan, and we are fully aware that our
attempt to avenge an insult offered as much to history
as to the Roman Church, will awaken much surprise
in the breasts of our readers. Such is the legitimate
fruit of that artful silence which the Jansenistfl bo
often employed, and with so much success.

The ill-will of modern liturgists was not satisfied

* About the time of the publication of Harlay'fl Breviary,
Santeuil published several hymns for the Offloe of St. Cecilia,
They are not among his best compositions, but they al least
celebrate the virtues and actions of the holy martyr ftOOOrding to
the facts recorded in her Acts.

370 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

with effacing the account of Cecilia's virtues and
actions from the French Breviary, it also strove to
despoil the modest virgin of the beautiful title of
Queen of Harmony, with which for nearly three cen-
turies, Catholic piety had loved to salute her. The
Abbe Lebeuf, composer of the new French Liturgi-
cal music, was the first to dispute Cecilia's title to the
crown of harmony. In a memoir, under the form of
an anonymous letter inserted in the Mercurede France*
this academician, who is celebrated for his erudition,
assumed the very easy task of demonstrating that in
the Acts of St. Cecilia, there is nothing to prove that
she ever performed upon any musical instrument ;
but this was not the question, and we are surprised
that an antiquarian, like Lebeuf, should have found
it necessary to waste so much time in proving to us
that the symbolical attributes assigned to the saints,
by Christian artists, have not always their origin in
history. Determined to seek material reasons for a
fact which springs only from sentiment, the Abbe
Lebeuf, after criticising the Acts of St. Cecilia, in
Tillemont's spirit, and often in Tillemont's own
words, comes to the conclusion that the idea of styl-
ing St. Cecilia patroness of music, arises from the
fact that one of the Anthems in her Office commen-
ces with these words : Cantantibus organis. He then
seeks the origin of this Anthem in that passage of
the Acts which speaks of the musical concert at the
wedding feast of Valerian and Cecilia. He did not
comprehend the meaning of these touching words:
11 During the concert, Cecilia sang also in her heart to

* Jan. 1732, pages 21-46.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 371

the Lord." He understood nothing of that melody
of the soul which ascends to the Divine fountain
of all harmony, and sings to its Creator, even amidst
the profane concerts of earth. He translates the sen-
tence in the following manner: "Cecilia paid no
attention to the music, but was interiorly absorbed
in God ;" and he even pities those who blend the
idea of harmony with Cecilia's name. In his zeal
for reformation, he offers musicians their choice
among the following patrons : St. Arnold of Juliers,
Sts. Dunstan, Ado, Nizier, Gall and Prix of Clermont,
Germain of Paris, and Aldric of Mans. The Abbe
forgets none but St. Gregory the Great ; however this
omission can scarcely surprise us in the avowed
enemy of the Gregorian chant.

We do not dwell upon the tone of superiority with
which the Abbe Lebeuf criticises and censures all
that was composed before his time ; happily, Chris-
tian instinct has preserved what the Abbe would
have gladly annihilated, and notwithstanding his
efforts to bury St. Cecilia in the seclusion of convents,
with the Agneses, the Lucys, and the Agathas* of
antiquity, the Roman virgin still retains one of her
most touching prerogatives. The Abbe did not suc-
ceed better in pointing out the period when she was
first honored as patroness of music ; according to him
it was about the beginning of the seventeenth cen-
tury.f On being reminded that Raphael's St. Ce-
cilia, painted in 1513, represents her seated, with a
musical instrument resting upon her knees, while her
soul is absorbed in listening to the concert of angels,

* Page 43. t Pag* 24.

372 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

he was somewhat embarrassed ; but he defended him-
self in a second letter* by saying that he knew the
picture perfectly well, and that he had had reference
to it, when he asserted that St. Cecilia was first pro-
claimed patroness of music in Italy. This reply
did not, however, vindicate the learned academician
from the charge of anachronism.

Besides, Eaphael was not the only artist of the
sixteenth century who represented St. Cecilia with
the attributes of music. At the same period, the
German artist, Laike of Leyden, painted her, accom-
panied by an angel holding a little organ upon which
she plays. The picture is in the royal gallery at
Munich. About the middle of the same century,
Garofolo painted a magnificent picture in which he
represents St. Cecilia playing the organ in presence
of the Blessed Virgin and St. Anthony of Padua.f

We have yet to show the facts which characterize
the progress of hagiographical writings throughout
the eighteenth century, relative to the Acts of St.
Cecilia. We shall begin with the Bollandists. Pape-
brok was no more, but his successors continued with

* Mercure de France, June, 1732, pages 1081-1088.

t St. Cecilia was acknowledged patroness of music long before
the foundation of the Academies of Music which were placed
under her protection. Nevertheless, we see in the year 1601, a
celebrated musical confraternity at Rouen bearing the title of
St. Cecilia, upon a deed by which they renew their previous
statutes. (Ouin Lacroix. Histoire des corporations et des con-
freries de Rouen, page 453.) At the same period, the musicians
of Rouen established their Academy of St. Cecilia. (Alfieri,
Notizie storiche sulla Congregazione et Academia di Santa Cecilia,
and an excellent article of M. Morelot, in the Revue de Musique
religieuse de M. Danjou, November, 1845.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 873

zeal and erudition the great work to which he has
so gloriously attached his name. It was not, how-
ever, until the nineteenth century, that they were
ready to enter into the lists with Tillemont and
Baillet on the controverted question of St. Cecilia's
Acts, which the authority of the two learned Jansen-
ists seemed to have settled forever in Catholic France.
We see the sad influence of these hagiographers in
the following fact. When Father du Sollier pub-
lished his edition of Usuard's Martyrology, he spoke
of the Acts of St. Cecilia with moderation, indeed,
since he could not forget the respect which he owed
to his predecessors, Henschenius and Papebrok, but
at the same time, with a reserve which proved the
influence exercised by the boldness of French criti-
cism over the best disposed minds. When speaking
of the martyrdom of Sts. Tiburtius and Valerian, the
learned Jesuit contents himself with remarking that
this is not the place to enter into a discussion
which properly belongs to the Acts of St. Cecilia.*
He repeats the same assertion when relating the
martyrdom of St. Urban. f But when he comes at
length to St. Cecilia, he merely lays before its the
controversy concerning her Acts, without entering
into a discussion of its merits. Tillemont's objection
as to the improbability of a persecution against the
Christians under Alexander Severus, seems to make

* Neclocusliic, necotmm est controversion! [11am expendere, de
qua in Actis nostris disputari poterit xxii. Novembris. Solh rc'**.
Martyr ologium Usuardi illustratum, tome i., page 210,

f Ne quid hid temore definiamus, aut extra propositnm eyage-

mur, omnia tutius ad xxii. Novembris, de Lutegro cxaminaiida
explicandaque re mittimus. Ibid* page 294.

374 . LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

some impression on his mind :* " however," he frankly
adds, " the opinion of Baronius, of Florentini, of the
others whom I have cited, and of the whole
Catholic world, are all in favor of the Acts of St.
Cecilia.f With respect to Tillemont's idea of call-
ing our Saint a Sicilian virgin, on the authority
of Fortunatus, Du Sollier considers the proposition
perfectly paradoxical^ but, again deserting the
arena, he refers the decision of this controversy to
himself or his successors at a later period.

Laderchi, more courageous and probably more
frank than du Sollier, energetically undertook the
defence of the Acts of Saint Cecilia, and devoted an
essay in the work we have mentioned to this object ;
but Tillemont and Baillet were so highly respected
even in Italy, that he did not venture to give their
names, although he translated their objections word
for word. At the same time, he did not hesitate to
attribute to the influence of Jansenism, the incredulity
of certain men with regard to these venerable Acts,
and asked " if the Church and historical science had de-
finitively passed under the dominion of the new sect?"
Francis Bianchini, in his commentary upon Anasta-
sius, was equally sincere and firm, and brought to

t Praecipua quae a recentioribus objicitur eaque capitalis diffi-
cultas, in eo consistit potissimum quod ut alibi etiam insinuavi,
Alexandrit emporibus, tain acerbaimmanisquepersecutio, qualis
in istis Actis describitur, tarn atrocia passim tormenta Christianis
illata, quadrare prorsus non videantur. Martyrologium Usuardi
illustration, tome ii., page 692.

f Pro his (Actis) cum Baronio, Florentinio, aliisque certant
laudati scriptores, certat totius orbis catholici pervulgata opinio.
Ibid.

X Paradoxamultis aeque ac mihi videtur hujusmodi sententia.
Ibid.

LIFE OF SAN1T CECILIA. 375

the support of the ancient cause, the weight of his
authority and profound erudition. He also thought
that the opinions of Baronius, Bosio, and Papebrok,
might be accepted without disgrace. In 1752, ap-
peared a new champion of St. Cecilia. The learned
Canon Moretti undertook to write the history of St.
Caliistus and of the Basilica of St. Mary beyond the
Tiber. The plan of this work compelled him to ex-
amine the great controversy concerning the Martyrs
under Alexander Severus. In so doing, this learned
and talented man rendered an invaluable service to
the Acts of St. Cecilia, although the question con-
cerning them entered but indirectly into his thesis.

The martyrdom of St. Caliistus was incontestable,
as well as the fact that he suffered under Alexander
Severus ; therefore, there were Martyrs in Eome even
under this prince, otherwise so favorable to Christi-
anity. The demonstration of this particular fact, led
to that of the general thesis. Moretti takes up that
thesis, and with resistless erudition, demonstrates it
step by step, until he triumphantly settles the con-
troversy in a manner conformable to the opinion of
Baronius. Although Moretti had not investigated
the Acts of St. Cecilia individually, yet his triumphant
solution of the great question with which they arc bo
intimately connected, tended much to prove their
authenticity.

At Naples, several years previously, in 1744, the
Acts of St. Cecilia had been directly subjected to the
critical and literary examination of Alexia bfazochi,
a most skilful hagiographer. His conclusions were
far from according with those of Tillemont and

576 LIFE 0F SAiira CECILIA.

Baillet. In his valuable commentary upon the
celebrated Neapolitan Calendar of the eighth century,
Masoohi makes particular mention of certain latinisms
in the Acts of St. Cecilia, which prove that these Acts
date back to the fourth century. The compiler of the
fifth, whose style is very careless, must then have made
use of manuscripts previously written, and must
have transcribed whole passages from them. Hence
the Acts are not entirely his own composition.

Mazochi then points out several incidents and
allusions which characterize the account, and shows
how perfectly they accord with the manners and
language of antiquity. He accounts in several w;
for the name of Almachius, and is far from consider-
ing this name as an invalidation of the Acts. He
next energetically attacks the system by which Tille-
mont endeavors, from a single hemistich in the works
of Fortunatus, to prove Cecilia a Sicilian. He plainly
shows that the most conclusive evidence designates
Rome as the theatre of the illustrious Virgin's martyr-
dom : M To deny a fact so well attested." he remarks,
•• is contrary to common sense, to say nothing more.
And yet, Baillet and other Frenchmen still cling to
Tillemont's opinion."*

Such is Mazochi's appreciation of the Acts. The
learned and courageous critic makes, it is true, some
concessions to his adversaries with regard to the
dialogues and discourses which he thinks may have

* Rem vero ita testatam negare. id. ne quid gravius dieam,
communi sf.nsu plane caret. Et tamen Tillemontii sententiam
Bailletus, aliiqne passim Gallorum, adhuc admirantur. Ma-
zockL In vetus marmorcum S. Neapolitans Ecclcsice Kalendarium
cummentarius. Tome i, page 211.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 377

been interpolated ; but he forgets that the very part
of the Acts, from which he quotes expressions to prove
their antiquity, is precisely that of the discourses and
dialogues. Notwithstanding these restrictions, the
favorable judgment of Mazochi is remarkable at a
time when the French prejudice against hagiographi-
cal monuments was so prevalent in Europe.

The Neapolitan author finds it difficult, however,
to reconcile a persecution against the Christians with
the character of Alexander Severus; yet he is un-
willing to invalidate St. Cecilia's Acts, and therefore
adopts the opinion of Usuard and St. Ado who refer
her martyrdom to the reign of Marcus Aurelius.
This involves him in some difficulty with regard to
her interviews with Pope Urban ; but Mazochi thinks
he can solve the problem by supposing that St. Urban
was but a simple priest at the time of Cecil ia's
martyrdom; and that having been appointed Pope
about fifty years later, the actions of Urban as priest,
were attributed to Urban as Pope.*

This solution, although more ingenious than satis-
factory, is at least a proof of the seriousness with
which Mazochi studied Cecilia's Acts. Nor is it more
fanciful than that which was proposed later by the
learned Jesuit, Lesley, in his commentary upon the
Mozarabic Missal, published in 1755. This critic,
also desirous to place St. Cecilia's martyrdom under
Marcus Aurelius, after relating Mazochi's theory,
proposes his own. It consists in admitting that
Bishops were established in the Pagi around Rome,
and that St. Urban was probably Bishop of a Pagus

* Mazochi. Pages 211, 212.

378 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

on the Appian Way, during the reign of Marcus
Aurelius* Unfortunately, no one has ever heard
of Bishops being established in the Pagi of the envi-
rons of Eome, and an explanation based upon so
gratuitous a conjecture, cannot have much weight.f
Had the Acts ot St. Cecilia been more thoroughly
studied, learned men would have perceived that the
persecution mentioned in them, was precisely such as
might have been expected in the reign of such a
prince as Alexander Severus. The unity, the proba-
bility, and the natural succession of the various inci-
dents, all perfectly in accordance with what we should
expect in the reign of a prince, who, though tolerant
to the Christians, was weak, and served by magis-
trates who despised them ; were above the comprehen-
sion of an author so simple hearted as the compiler
of the Acts in the fifth century. His n arration proves,
therefore, the existence of previous memoirs from
which he gives his details. If our Martyrs had
suffered during the persecution of Marcus Aurelius
and Commodus, in consequence of an edict issued by*
these Emperors, the conduct of the Eoman Prefect,
his trial of the culprits, and Cecilia's death, would
have presented a totally different character. But if
it be granted, on the contrary, that this great drama
took place during the reign of Alexander Severus,
then, all that would appear extraordinary under a
persecuting Emperor, becomes perfectly natural ; we
feel that the events could not have been different.
But this method of appreciating an historical

* Missale mixtum, dictum Mozarabes, prsefatione, notis et ap-
pendice ornatum, page G08.

| Sue Riccy. Pago Lemonio, page 104.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 379

document, was not familiar to the hagiographers of
the period ; and we are therefore deeply indebted to
Mazochi and Lesley for having seriously defended
the Acts of St. Cecilia at a time when it required no
little courage to contest even the most trifling of
Tillemont's decisions in regard to monuments which
had once been universally respected. The gravity
of the narrative, the universal assent of all nations, the
palpable facts stated in the account of the two Inven-
tions, every thing, even to the philological study of
the Acts, had induced these learned men to accept a
document which seemed to them so worthy of respect;
their only study was to fix the date of the events
mentioned in it ; we have just explained why they
were deceived as to the period of Cecilia's martyrdom.
The close of the eighteenth century, beheld the
persecuted successors ofBollandus, wandering through
the world, without a resting place. These noble exiles
took refuge for some time in the abbey of Tougerloo.
Whilst there, they published in 1794, the sixth vol-
ume of the Acts of the Saints, for October. It contai oed
the Acts of St. Callistus, whose festival falls on the
14th of October. This article was compiled by James
de Buc, one of the Bollandists. He openly adopted
Moretti's conclusions, and the famous question which
had puzzled du Sollier, was finally decided according
to Baronius and our Acts. In 1845, the Bollandists
resumed their work amidst the applause of Europe.
After fifty years of suspension, the seventh and eighth
volumes appeared. May heaven grant that the present
editors may bring the immortal work to a glorious
conclusion, and avenge the Arts of St. Cecilia in a

380 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

manner worthy of the erudition and piety of the
illustrious Society of Jesus !

We have still to speak of a celebrated English
hagiographer, Alban Butler, whose work is known in
France under the name of Godescard, Canon of Saint
Honore, who translated and completed it. This book
neither merits the great reputation which it has
obtained, nor the contempt with which it is now
frequently treated. We shall only dwell upon the
carelessness with which the question concerning St.
Cecilia, is examined. Butler and Godescard, gener-
ally so eager to seek and cite every work, treating
of the Saints, consulted neither Bosio nor Laderchi.
In 1763, they seemed to consider the question as
finally settled. Had not the French Liturgists de-
cided it ? They therefore merely state that the Acts
of St. Cecilia are of little authority, an observation
which they attempt to justify by a short exposition
of Tillemont's assertions ; they agree, however, that
there may have been Martyrs under Alexander
Severus.

The inconceivable carelessness with which this
notice was compiled, is clearly proved by the follow-
ing phrase : " We learn from the Acts of St. Cecilia,
that in chanting the praises of God, she frequently
added instrumental to vocal music."* Hence, it is
clear that Butler and Godescard, before compiling St.
Cecilia's life, had not even taken the trouble to read
her Acts, since these do not contain a single expres-
sion which could lead to such a conclusion. The
only authority which these learned men could allege,

* Vies des Peres et dea Martyrs, tome xi. an 22 Novembre.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. $gl

in favor of the fact they thus advance, is the legiti-
mate license with which artists have represented St.
Cecilia playing upon musical instruments, to indicate
that she is patroness of Music. They might have
shown at least some deference for Acts which were
written nearly a thousand years before the paintings
in question were executed.*

In concluding this chapter upon the events relating
to the Holy Martyr throughout the eighteenth century,
we again gladly take refuge in our dear Basilica, the
history of which is so intimately united with that of
St. Cecilia.

Whilst the erudites were agitating the learned
questions we have mentioned, multiplied homages
of piety were offered the illustrious Virgin. The
trans-Tiberian Basilica was devoutly visited by
pilgrims ; and the devotion of the Eomans to this
august sanctuary and the valuable treasures it con-
tained, had not grown cold. Among all Cecilia's
clients, towards the end of the eighteenth century, the
pious Joseph Mazzolari held the first place. He was
a member of the Society of Jesus, before its suppres-
sion. He was a distinguished scholar and full of zeal
for the glory of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints.
This zeal led him to write under the assumed
name of Mariano Partenio. Among the Ciceronian
harangues found in his literary works, there is one,
styled pro domo Lauretana^ which he caused to be

* Tabaraud, the author of the article upon St. Cecilia, in fa
Biographic universale, has merely abridged the notice of Butler
and Godescard ; but he faithfully quotes the Bentenoe in frhioh
these two authors assert that Cecilia's prolieieney in musio, is
formally expressed in her Acts.

\ Mazzolari opera, tome i.

382 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA,

engraved upon a plate of silver as an offering to the
sanctuary of our Lady of Loretto. He particularly
venerated the Martyrs of Rome, and it was principally
on account of this devotion, that he published a little
work entitled Diario sagro ; * but Cecilia was Mazzo-
lari's special favorite. Through his exertions, an
Italian translation of her Acts was published in
Eome,f in 1775, preceded by a preface proving their
authenticity.

In the year 1785, Mazzolari, at his own expense,
caused the fresco, representing upon one of its com-
partments Cecilia's interment, and upon the other
her apparition to Paschal, to be detached from the
exterior portico of the Basilica. He removed this
valuable painting to the interior of the Church,
placed it in front of the large altar, and added to it
the following inscription :

MONVMENTVM VETVSTISSIMVM INVENTIONS ET DEPOSITIONS

SACRAE CHRISTI SPONSAE ET INCLYTAE MARTYRIS CAECILIAE

NE AERIS INIVRIA PRORSVS INTERIRET

HVC E PORTICV IOSEPHVS MARIAN VS PARTHENIVS

PRO SVO ERGA S. VIRGINEM ET MARTYREM STVDIO

TRANSFERENDVM CVRAVIT

A. D. M. DCC. LXXXV.J

* An interesting edition of this work appeared at Rome, in
1805, with excellent notes by Adami.

f In 8°, chez Solomoni.

X That this very ancient monument of the Invention and De-
position of the holy Spouse of Christ, the illustrious Martyr, St.
Cecilia, might not be totally destroyed by the inclemency of the
weather, Joseph Mariano Partenio, through devotion to the
holy virgin and martyr, removed it from the portico to this
place, a. d., 1785.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 383

This was not the only proof of Mazzolari's devotion
to St. Cecilia. He thought that Paschal's document,
in which the holy Pope describes the apparition of
the illustrious virgin, should be publicly exposed in
the Basilica. He had it engraved, therefore, upon a
large white marble tablet, and placed it opposite the
antique fresco of which we have just spoken. It
bears the following inscription :

HAS LITTERAS E COD. VATIC. DESCRIPTAS

JOSEPHVS MARIANVS PARTHENIUS INCIDENDAS CVRAVIT

A. D. M. DCC. LXXXVI.*

A third memorial of Mazzolari's devotion to St.
Cecilia, was a large silver gilt heart, which was
placed near the Confession. The following words
are engraved upon it :

JOSEPHVS MARIANVS PARTHENIVS

CAECILIAE VIRGINI SANCTAE

MARTYRI INVICTAE

D. D.

PATRONAE COELESTI

ANNO MDCCLXXV.

ORAT OBSECRAT SUPPLICAT

VT HABERE MEREATUR PARTEM CVM EA.f

While these pious offerings were being placed
upon Cecilia's tomb, disastrous days wore looming

* This letter was copied from a manuscript of the Vatican,
Joseph Mariano Partenio caused it to be engraved A. D. L786.

f Joseph Mariano Partenio dedicated this heart to the holy
Virgin and invincible martyr St,. Ueoiilii Ilia heavenly patrOH688,

A. D. 1775. He prays, he heseeohes, he Implores, that he may

merit a share in her happiness.

334 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

over the holy city, and the treasures of her Basilicas
were soon to fall into the hands of wicked men. The
pontificate of Pius VI. was almost at an end, when
the Directory of the French Kepublic, having con-
ceived the odious project of deposing the Lord's
anointed, announced to the Pontiff that Christian Home
was condemned to destruction, and that nothing could
avert its ruin but the greatest sacrifices. Pius VI.,
by the armistice of Milan, and soon after, by the
treaty of Tolentino, was forced to cede a portion of
his territory, to deliver up his most beautiful pictures
and finest statuary, and to pay thirty-one million
francs.

To satisfy this enormous demand, the Pontiff sent
the treasures of gold and silver that still remained
in the Castle of St. Angelo, and, moreover, added to
them all the gold and silver ornaments belonging to
the churches of Home.

- We have read with much emotion in the archives
of the Basilica of St. Cecilia, an order issued by the
Cardinal Vicar, in the name of hi.:. Holiness, dated
July 6th, 1796, to all the superiors of the churches
in Rome, commanding, under the severest penalties,
an inventory to be made of all the gold and silver
plate entrusted to their keeping.* A document of
later date, mentioned that on the seventeenth of that
same month, the Abbess delivered up three hundred
and ninety-five pounds of silver to the pontifi-
cal commissary Livaldini ; on the 29th of August,
sixty-nine pounds; and on the 9th of the following
March, one hundred and sixty-nine.f

* Archives of St. Cecilia. Lossier 94, No. 30.
f Ibid., No. 31.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 335

This cruel spoliation, to which the Pontiff wag
forced by extreme necessity, deprived the Basilica
of its three precious caskets, in which Sfondrato had
enclosed the heads of Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maxi-
mus. These holy relics were then placed in the
copper cylinders in which they have since remained.
Besides the three caskets sent by the Abbess, there
were silver chalices, candelabra, and other altar fur-
niture ; the greater number of the reliquaries, pre-
sented by Sfondrato, were merely bronze-gilt.

Notwithstanding this enormous sacrifice, the
liberty of the Pope was not long respected. In less
than two years, the holy old man was dragged into
exile. Then followed new spoliations of the churches
of Eome, under the immediate supervision of the
French authorities. We find in the Archives of St.
Cecilia's Basilica, a French document, headed with
the words Liberty, Equality, and dated 16 Ventose of
the sixth year of the Republic. This document attested
that the citizen Valette, charged by the financial
administration of Italy, to receive the gold and- silver
taken from churches, required the citizen Sebastian
Bartoletti, a Eoman priest, to enumerate, upon
oath, all the silver articles which remained in the
Church and monastery of St. Cecilia, of which he was
chaplain.

"We may form an idea of the state of destitution to
which the sanctuary of St. Cecilia was thus reduced,
and at the same time picture to ourselves the rapacity
of the spoliators of Eome, by reading in this docu-
ment the list of precious articles which were reluc-
tantly left in the Basilica. They consisted of an

SI*

336 LIFE 0P SAINT CECILIA.

altar cloth embroidered with gold, an ostensorium,
four reliquaries, two chalices, and a censor.

Whilst the trans-Tiberian Basilica was being thus
despoiled of even its most trifling ornaments, the
illustrious Cardinal, Hyacinth Sigismond Gerdil, to
whose care the Pope had entrusted it, was, like
the other members of the Sacred College, forced to
leave Kome. This austere religious and eminent
theologian, a worthy successor of so many great car-
dinals, was renowned for his learning and virtue.
He had successfully combated all the errors of his
time, and had compiled the immortal Constitution
Auctorem fidei which annihilated Jansenism.

Gerdil was eighty years of age when thus forced
to leave Kome and the pious sanctuary which had
been committed to his care. We have read with
deep emotion the autograph letter which he addressed,
previous to his departure, to his dear daughters, the
Abbess and Religious of St. Cecilia, whom he left
exposed to every danger. This letter breathes
throughout the most heroic resignation and paternal
charity. After the miraculous election of Pius VII.,
at Venice, Gerdil returned to Kome and once more
had the consolation of praying at Cecilia's tomb.
But he was soon called to receive the recompense
he had merited by his noble and holy life. He died
on the 12th of August, 1802.

Our Basilica, towards the end of the eighteenth
century, shared in the general tribulations of the
Church. We will close this chapter with a single
incident characteristic of this epoch, no less fruitful
in virtues than in crimes. We are confident that

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 387

our readers honor the angelic memory of the amiable
and pious Madame Elizabeth, sister of Louis XVI.
This princess, whose murder was one of the greatest
crimes of the French Eevolution, venerated St. Ce-
cilia with special devotion. Perhaps she felt a secret
presentiment that she too would one day add the rose
of martyrdom to the lily of virginity. When her
brother, the Count of Provence, before leaving
France, bade adieu to his dearly loved sister, Eliza-
beth presented him with a picture of St. Cecilia, en-
treating him never to part with it. "I am aware,"
said she, " that your mind and heart have been mis-
led by a false and dangerous philosophy. I trust
that this holy martyr will obtain your conversion.*
Elizabeth did not seek to escape from a country
where a cruel fate awaited her. Her devoted attach-
ment to the royal family did not suffer her to abandon
them. She consoled the last moments of the Queen;
and when her own turn arrived, she calmly ascended
the scaffold, after encouraging with angelic words
the numerous victims, who, one by one, preceded
her to death on that mournful day.

CHAPTER. XXXVIII.

EVENTS RELATING TO ST. CECILIA AND HER BASILICA THROUGHOUT
THE NINETEENTH CB5TUBY.

The nineteenth century opened with the elevation
of Pius VII. During his pontificate, the churohea

* Relation of a voyage to Brussels and Coblenti In 1791.
Paris 1823. This pamphlet was written bj the Count of Pro-
vence, afterwards Louis XV 111.

388 ^ FE 0F SAINT CECILIA.

resumed something of their ancient splendor, through
the generosity and pious zeal of the faithful ; but
long years must pass away, ere the Basilica of Saint
Cecilia, despoiled of nearly all its riches, and im-
poverished in its revenues, will again surround the -
tomb of the saint with the magnificence it displayed in
Sfondrato's time. Instead of a hundred lamps burn-
ing day and night, there are now only fifty, and
these are extinguished at sunset. The edifice itself
was beginning to decay, and there was every reason
to fear that the holy dwelling of Cecilia, which had
been so frequently restored and embellished, would
fall to ruins before the close of the century. Joseph
Doria, who had been Secretary of State during the
troubled pontificate of Pius VI., was now titulary of
St. Cecilia. But the short time which elapsed between
his nomination and the fresh troubles which fell upon
the Church, was not sufficiently long to permit him
to undertake, much less to execute, any repairs in
the Basilica. He had been named Secretary of State
to Pius VII.; but he did not remain long in this
dangerous office. He was soon exiled to Genoa, in
consequence of his fidelity to the sovereign Pontiff*.
He died on the 10th of February, shortly after the
return of Pius VII. to Eome. His nephew, Cardinal
George Doria, succeeded him as Titulary of St. Ceci-
lia, and profiting by the happy revolution which had
restored to Eome her Pontiff* and Master, he deter-
mined to devote his first care to the Basilica, which
sadly needed restoring. He strengthened the arcades
of the ground nave, consolidated the falling arch,
and renewed the painting and gilding. The Abbess

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 389

and religious of St. Cecilia, wishing to hand down to
posterity, a remembrance of the pious munificence
of George Doria, caused the following inscription to
be engraved upon a marble tablet :

GEOKGIVS AB AVRIA PAMPHILIVS

PRESBYTER CARDINALIS HVIVS TITVLI

PERINSIGJSTE BIVM C^ECILLE E DOMO TEMPLVM

IN QVO ETIAM PIISSIMORVM CARDINALIVM

GEORGII PATRVI MAGNI ET IOSEPHI PATRVI SVI

CINERES QVIESCVNT

QVVM TEMPORIS INIVRIA FATISCERET

PERISTYLIO LATERICIIS MOLIBUS SVBFVLTO

SVPERIORI CONCAMERATIONE SOLIDATA

OMNIBUS DENIQVE AD ELEGANTEM FORMAM PERFECTIS

VRGINVM SACRARVM RELIGIOSO CVLTVI

RESTITVENDVM SVA IMPENSA CVRAVIT

ABBATISSA ET MONIALES

EMINENTISSIMI VIRI MUNIFICENTIAM

GRATO ANIMO PROSEQVVT^E

REI MEMORIAM LAPIDE SIGNATAM VOLVERVXT

AXNO M. DCCC XXIII.*

The Basilica thus restored, resumed its superiority

* George Doria Pampliili, Cardinal Priest and Titulary of this
church, caused to be restored at his own expense, for the divine
office chanted here by sacred virgins, this august temple, dedi-
cated to St. Cecilia, and formerly the house in which she lived.
The remains of George, the great uncle, and of Joseph, the undo
of the present Titulary, repose hero. Seeing that this sanctuary
was falling to ruins, Cardinal Doria supported the arcades with
brickwork, consolidated the arch, and restored to the church
its primitive beauty. As a token of gratitude for the niuniti-
cence of this eminent Cardinal, the Abbess and religious have
caused this inscription to be engraved.

390 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

over all the other churches of the city; and although
still preserving traces of the cruel spoliation it had
suffered, cheered by its splendor and elegance, the
hearts of the pilgrims who visited the virgin's tomb.
There were no events of any importance in the annals
of St. Cecilia, until the disastrous days when Kome
was profaned by sacrilege and revolt. No change
was made in the trans-Tiberian Basilica during the
pontificates of Leo XII., Pius VIII., and Gregory
XVI.; under this last Pope, the church was en-
trusted to the pious Cardinal James Louis Brignole,
a Genoese, who, upon his elevation to the Suburbi-
cary Church of Sabine, obtained permission to retain
this Basilica in commendam, as Sfondrato and Aqua-
viva had done. It was therefore under his adminis-
tration, that the events w^e are about to relate, took
place. We shall have occasion to admire the won-
derful manner in which the holy martyr protected
the house consecrated by her blood, and by the
actual presence of her body. When, in November,
1848, the angelic Pius IX. had been forced to seek
safety in flight, the fury of his enemies vented itself
upon churches and monasteries. The venerable
sanctuary of St. Cecilia was not spared ; but nowhere
throughout the holy city, was the protection of hea-
ven more clearly or more constantly manifested.
Before the arrival of the French army, the faction
who governed the city, conceived the idea of taking
away from the churches, some paintings which
needed restoration, under the pretext of giving occu-
pation to the artists. A party came to the Church
of St. Cecilia, and took possession of the altar piece

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 39 1

in the Chapel of the Bath. They were carrying it
away in triumph, when an energetic band of Traste-
verini, thinking they were despoiling the Basilica,
suddenly rushed upon them, and by menaces which
they would have carried into effect, forced them
to return the picture they had so imprudently
detached from the wall. In revenge, the minister of
fine arts established his artists in this very chapel,
with orders to restore the frescos of Paul Brill, which
were in reality much defaced ; but which are now com-
pletely destroyed, thanks to the pencils of these
wretched artists. The tyrants of Rome had ordered
that a number of the church bells should be taken
down and cast into cannon for their service. The
Basilica of St. Cecilia was one of the churches men-
tioned, but it was protected in a most unlooked-for
manner. The President of the trans-Tiberian region,
Vincent Cortesi, obtained from the triumvirate that
the bells should not be disturbed. His influence
likewise obtained for the Monastery and the Basilica
an exemption from the decree, ordaining an inventory
of all church furniture and monastic property.

The news that the French army was approaching,
redoubled the rage of the factious party, while it in-
creased the terror of peaceable citizens, who dreaded
the horrors of a siege. On the 28th of April, 184 ( ,),
the Benedictines of Campus Martius, begged admit-
tance to the monastery of St. Cecilia, their convent
having been seized by the republican administration
and converted into barracks.

The daughters of St. Cecilia received their sisters
with the most heartfelt kindness, their mutual alloc-

£>09 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA

tion being increased by the common peril to which
they were exposed ; and the two communities, hence-
forth united in one, endeavored to assist each other
in preparing for the trials in store for them.

Three days had scarcely elapsed, when a troop of
armed men broke into the convent, at midnight,
under pretext of seeking for a concealed priest.
These ruffians searched every part of the house, but
not finding the priest, they departed, threatening the
religious with every kind of cruelty, assuring them
that these threats would soon be put into execution.
A few days later, the republican commissary of the
Trastever^ Eegion, accompanied by two of his
satellites and a mason, forced his way into the
convent and demanded the treasures which he
declared the Titulary Cardinal had entrusted to the
religious. He, and his companions, pierced the walls,
broke open the doors, and examined all the furniture ;
but found no treasure. Such unheard of outrages
committed in a house of unprotected women, were
but preludes to greater insults. On the 14th of May,
two commissaries of the government, presented them-
selves to the Abbess, Giuseppa Ben eggi, after having
broken open the doors of the monastery. They com-
pelled her to assemble all her religions in the parlor,
and then, in the presence of these holy virgins, they
read a decree of the triumvirate, annulling the vows
of all religious, and declaring them free to return
to the world. The daughters of St. Cecilia listened
to this insolent and sacrilegious decree, with silent
indignation, and the commissaries retired.

The next evening, at ten o'clock, the commissary

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

393

of the Trastevere Eegion, escorted by ten men,
again entered the convent, and imperiously demanded
the treasures of the Titulary Cardinal. After a fruit,
less search, this man, furious at his non-success,
summoned the Abbess before him, and told her that
he considered her responsible for the missing treasures.
He finally threatened to carry off the Abbess as a
hostage, a menace which he would have executed, had
not Providence interposed.

The month of June having arrived, the French
resolved to press the siege. The fury of the assault,
as well as of the defence, was confined principally to
the Trastevere Eegion.

There was a constant cross fire from the Aventine
Hill and the summit of Mount Janiculum, above the
Basilica and Monastery of St. Cecilia. The balls
struck against the august temple of the Eoman
Virgin in every direction, and the religious, who
had been successively driven from one room of the
monastery to another, finally took refuge in that part
of the building erected on the Piazza de Santa Cecila.
Wehave seen, in the monastery, a heap of balls which
were picked up in the garden, by the religious, after
the siege.

The intervention of heaven was marvellously shown
by the miraculous preservation, not only of the reli-
gious, but also of the Basilica. Not one of the sisters
was injured, although the balls frequently pierced the
walls of the rooms where they were assembled;
whilst the Basilica, though exposed on all sides to
bomb shells and balls was not damaged in the
slightest degree

32

oq^ LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Christ visibly protected this sacred house, and the
virgins who dwelt under its roof, because the tomb
of Cecilia His spouse, is ever dear to His heart. This
was proved by the following incident.

On the 10th of June, after one of the most fearful
days of the siege, four religious had remained after
matins in the tribune of the choir, directly in front
of the main altar and of the Confession of St. Cecilia.
They were the RR. MM. Donna Flavia Celeste
Cecconi, Donna Electa Benedetti, Donna Gertrude
Benedetti, and Donna Scholastica Rosa; the first three
were exiles from St. Mary of the Campus Martins;
the last belonged to the monastery of St. Cecilia.
After the severe trials of the day, they remained to
pray and to implore Almighty God to put an end to
the disastrous events which were devastating the holy
city. The Basilica was plunged in almost total dark-
ness, the only light being that of four small tapers
placed upon the upper balustrade, near the altar, on
the Epistle side.

The four sisters were praying devoutly, when their
attention was attracted to the sanctuary, suddenly
illuminated by a brilliant light, issuing from the
crypt under the altar where Cecilia's body reposed.
This light ascended slowly to the foot of the statue,
crossed the altar on the Gospel side, and after reaching
the tabernacle, again descended, and vanished. The
marvellous apparition was repeated twice. The four
sisters were so impressed at such an unexpected sight,
that at first they did not venture to communicate their
feelings to one another. The Sisters of St. Mary were
the first to speak; turning towards Donna Scholastica
Rosa, they said : " Do you see that light ? — " I do see

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 395

it," replied the religions of St. Cecilia. " But what
can it mean?" asked the other sisters." "I know
not," answered Donna Scholastica, "let ns see if it w r ill
reappear." A few moments after, the same brilliant
light returned, and again ascending to the tabernacle,
slowly descended, und disappeared as before. The
Sisters remained a long time, respectfully waiting
for another apparition; but the mysterious light
appeared no more. This extraordinary fact, which
we have heard from the lips of the above named
religious, was certainly most significant.

Who does not see in it a touching indication of
Cecilia's prayers, ascending to her divine Spouse, inter-
ceding for the cessation of the scourge and for the salva-
tion of Eome and her Pontiff? The light emanated
from the virgin's tomb like a fervent aspiration ; it
ascended towards Him who alone can give peace, and
returned to the tomb, after having obtained the favor
it implored. What greater proof could there be of
the intercession of the Saints in our favor; and does
it not likewise show that this intercession is more
readily granted when prayed for in the places where
their bodies repose ?

Cecilia was truly watching over the salvation and
deliverance of her children in the trans-Tiberian
regions; for the wonderful preservation of the Ba-
silica and monastery could only be attributed to her
powerful intercession. Their trials, however, were
not yet at an end; Cecilia's vigilance was still
required over her august temple and her devoted
children.

On the 15th of June, the Abbess received an im-

396 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

perious order to leave the house within three hours,
and to send some of her daughters to the monastery
of St. Bernardin, the rest to that of St. Susanna. The
military engineers had selected the Church and mon-
astery of St. Cecilia as a point of defence from which
they could return the enemy's fire. We may easily
conceive the desolation into which the religious were
plunged by this unexpected expulsion from the sanc-
tuary, rendered doubly dear by the terrors, the heart-
breakings, and the dangers of the preceding months.
Their souls were oppressed with the sad prospect of
the sacred temple exposed to frightful profanations,
the body of Cecilia, their faithful patroness, aban-
doned to these sacrilegious men,, the asylum of con-
secrated virgins converted into a barrack ; the
convent, within which they had practised the humble
virtues of the cloister, and which they considered
their home, desolated, perhaps destroyed, by the
cannon of the besiegers, whilst they were wandering
through the streets of the city.

Tears and supplications would have been lost upon
the agents of the triumvirate ; but Cecilia's protection
was again sensibly felt. A private gentleman, Joseph
Costa, who lived near the convent, and whose three
daughters had been educated by the religious, inter-
ceded in their favor. He obtained permission for the
Sisters to remain in their house, only giving up the
part of the building which faced the Janiculum.

The religious immediately walled up the commu-
nicating doors between the part of the building which
they were forced to relinquish, and that which they
were permitted to retain, and continued to trust in

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 397

the power of their heavenly protectress. The pro-
ject of converting the Basilica and monastery into
a place of defence, was never carried into execution ;
a sufficient proof that cupidity was the principal
cause of this new vexation. In fact, two days later,
some commissaries having thoroughly explored that
part of the monastery given up to them, entered the
Basilica about seven o'clock in the morning, with
the intention of searching every where for the hidden
treasures, of the Titulary Cardinal. As there was no
one to oppose them, everything was to be feared from
their audacity and avidity. The commissaries were
accompanied by workmen, and they immediately
commenced their search. Thinking that the trea-
sures might be buried in the vault where the religious
were interred, they hesitated not to violate this sacred
place, and to disturb the ashes of the consecrated
dead. Finding nothing in the first vault, they directed
their steps to another, situated in the chapel of the
Crucifix, and long used as a burial place for seculars.
This search proved as unsuccessful as the former,
and finally, after twelve hours of fruitless labor, the
commissaries retired, uttering a thousand impre-
cations against the religious, and threatening in their
fury, to force the cloister of the monastery. Joseph
Costa again interceded in behalf of the Sisters, and
obtained a detachment of the civic guard for their
protection. This guard continued in service until
the taking of Eome, and were disbanded by General
Oudinot on the very day of his triumphal entrance
into the city. We will now close these annals of the
Eoman virgin, hoping that by the mercy of Christ,

32*

398 ^IFE 0F SAINT CECILIA.

they will be enriched throughout the course of time,
for the consolation of Christianity and the honor of
our invincible heroine. The Komans, especially
those dwelling in the trans-Tiberian regions, pay her
the most devoted homage, and she reigns over all
Christendom as Queen of Harmony.

It is true, that for more than a century, neither
poet nor artist has laid at her feet a tribute worthy
of her acceptance ; but this must be attributed to that
general decline of true Catholic inspiration in the
fine arts which commenced at a much earlier period.
In France, another cause may be assigned, viz., the
conspiracy of our hagiographers against the honor
of the Saint.

Better days are in store, when devotion to the
Saints will become more lively and practical. All
must acknowledge that little was thought of St. Eliza-
beth of Hungary, until the pen of Montalembert had
so vividly painted her beautiful virtues. Cecilia
lived at a much earlier period, but her name has
always been popular and her feast annually cele-
brated. Christ will deign to glorify His Spouse still
more. He will infuse new life into the homages paid
her, and will incite the faithful to imitate her glorious
example.

What thanks do we not owe thee, Cecilia! for
having permitted us to trace thy hallowed memory
throughout sixteen ages; for having assisted us in
our narration, and above all, for the favor thrice
repeated of prostrating ourselves before thy august
tomb, and celebrating the Sacrifice of the Lamb, thy
Spoase, upon the altar which covers and protects thy
remains!

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 399

In the first of these pilgrimages, we conceived the
idea of rendering thee this public homage of our ten-
der veneration; of consecrating to thy glory this
humble work as a memorial of the holy joy we have
experienced when kneeling at thy feet. Deign, O
Virgin, Apostle, Martyr, amidst the many gifts offered
at thy Confession by purer hands than ours, to accept
this feeble tribute of our love !

Angels alone can worthily celebrate thy praise, O
Spouse of Christ ! We can but address thee in the
trembling accents of fallen and sinful humanity.

Deign to look favorably upon us, O glorious queen!
from the throne of glory whereon thou sittest, clothed
with the dazzling robe of which the Psalmist speaks.
Vouchsafe to accept our humble offering.*

Deign also to hear our prayer for that holy Church,
whose glory and support thou art.

In the profound night of the present century, the
Spouse delays His coming. Amidst the solemn
silence, He permits the virgin to slumber until the
day of His advent.f We honor thy repose upon thy
mysterious couch, rendered glorious by thy victories,
O Cecilia ! but we know that thou dost not forget
us ; for thus speaks the Spouse in the sacred Canticle :
" I sleep, but my heart watches 1"$

The hour approaches when the Spouse will appear,
and rally his followers around the standard of the
Cross. Soon the cry will be heard : " Behold the
bridegroom cometh; go ye forth to meet him."§

* Psalms xliv. 2.

f Moram autem faciente sponso, dorinitavorunt ouines (vir-
gines) et dormierunt. Matth. xxv. 5.

t Cant., v. 2. § Matt. xxv. 6.

400 LIFE 0F SAINT CECILIA,

O Cecilia ! then wilt thou exclaim to the Christians of
our generation, as thou formerly didst to the faithful
band, who surrounded thee in the hour of combat:
" Soldiers of Christ, cast off the works of darkness
and clothe yourselves with the armor of light !"*

The Church daily pronounces thy name with love
and confidence in the most sacred part of her Myste-
ries, firmly confiding in thy assistance, 0, Cecilia!
which she knows will never fail her. Eaise up
Christian hearts to the contemplation of those eternal
truths which they too often forget in their vain
pursuit of those earthly vanities, which held captive
the heart of Tiburtius, until thy sublime eloquence
had undeceived his noble soul. Thus wilt thou
prepare the triumph of the Church ; for when thoughts
of eternity shall predominate in the heart of man,
then will the salvation and the peace of nations be
secured.

Our task is accomplished : we must now resume
less pleasing labors. Mayest thou. Cecilia ! ever
be the delight of the Heavenly Spouse. Mayest thou
ever breathe the divine perfume of his roses and lilies,
and be charmed with the ineffable harmony of His
Sacred Heart. From thy throne of glory, watch
over us during life ; aid us at the hour of death, and
bear our souls to their immortal home. There shall
we behold thee, crowned with glory, and radiant
with ineffable happiness ; and in the light of that re-
fulgent vision, we shall comprehend the exalted excel-
lence of Virginity, Apostolic zeal, and Martyrdom.

* Eia milites Christi, abjicite opera tenebrarum et induamini
arma lucis. Acta S. Ccecilice.

APPENDIX.

The following are the two Hymns in honor of
St. Cecilia which His Holiness has approved foi
Liturgical use*

DIE XXII NOVEMBRIS.
IN FESTO

S. <LECILI£i VIRGINIS ET MARTYRIS.

AD MATUTINUM,
tiam ad Vesperas, quoties festum transferatur.

HYMNtTS.

Terrena cessent organa,
Cor cestuans CsBcilise
Coeleste fundit canticum,
Deoque totum jubilat

Dum nuptiali nobilis
Domus resultat gaudio ;
Haeo sola tristis candido
Geinit columba pectore.

O Christe mi dulcissime,
Cui me sacravit charitas,
Serva pudoris integram,
Averte labem corpore.

Ovis leonem sedula

Agnum facit mitissimum ;

Hie fonte lotus mystico

Coclo repente militat. . ,.

402 LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

Solvit Tiburtium soror
Erroris e caligine,
Factoque fratris asseclae
Ad astra pandit semitam.

Seges per illam plurima
Superna replet horrea :
Verbo potens, fit particeps
Apostolorum gloriae.

Delapsus arce siderum
Illam tuetur Angelus,
Rosceque mixtse liliis
Ambire crines gestiunt.

Sertum rubens et candidum
Affertur una conjugi,
Quern castitatis semulum
Co3lestis ardor efficit.

Te sponse Jesu, virginum
Beata laudent agmina
Patrique cum Paraclito
Par sit per aevum gloria
Amen:

AD LAUDES.

HYMNUS.

Nunc ad coronas pergite,
Clamat suis Caecilia ;
Mox ipsa Virgo sistitur
Ad judicis praetorium.

Minantis iram despicit,
Et falsa ridet numina ;
Jam morte digna ducitur
Puella culpoe nescia.

Inclusa perstat balneo,
Ardent calore fornices ;
Ast urit intus Virginem
Divinus ignis fortior.

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA. 403

Intaminatam barbarus
Ter ense lictor percutit ;
Scelus tamen non perficit,
Christus moras dat Martyri.

Horse supremse proxima,
Deo sacrandas devovet
iEdes avitas, libera,
Volatque ad Agni nuptias.

Salveto, corpus Martyris
Diu sub antris abditum I
Nova refulgens gloria
Romae parents redderis.

Ne fios tenebris areat,
Te Virgo servat virginum ;
Rubens cruoris purpura,
Stola micante cingeris.

Dormi silenti marmore,
Dum sede laetus caelica
Indulget hymnis spiritus,
Votisque dexter annuit.

Te sponse Jesu, virginum
Beata laudant agmina ;
Patrique cum Paraclito
Par sit per oevum gloria.

Amen.

DECRETUM.

Ordinis Sancti Benedicti in Galliis.

Oertamen apprime forte disposuit Deus in Urbe
inclyta) Virgin i et Marty ri sancto Coecilia3, quae dum
in Christianas religionis proposito Deo dovotam virgi-
nitatem saam siugulari Angeli prsesidio incontami-

404

LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA.

natam servare promeruit, illud insimul obtinuit, ut
verae fidei lumine collustrati Valerianus sponsus sibi
datus, ej usque frater Tiburtius, in libera religionis
ipsius confessione ad mortem usque immobiles per-
severarent, et gloriae corona redimiti coelitum felicitate
potirentur, donee et ipsa Dominum Regem Salvatorem
collaudare non desinens, innumeris superatis tor men-
tis, iisdem sociaretur in perpetuas aeternitates triumph-
atura. Sanctae Caeciliae cultus longe iateque diffusus,
quum in dies magis in Gallia inclareat, praesertim
penes alumnos Ordinis Sancti Benedict! ibi degentes,
Eeverendissimus Pater Domnus Prosper Gu&ranger,
Abbas Solesmensis, constituit in divina Psalmodia
ejusdem Sanctae laudes ampliori solemnitate corn-
memorari; ac proinde Sanctissimo Domino Nostro
Pio IX. Pontifici Maximo supplicavit enixe, ut pro
alumnis sui Ordinis in Gallia adprobare dignaretur
Hymnos proprios in honorem sanctae Caeciliae Officio
ipsius addendos. Sanctitas Sua hujusmodi preces
peramanter excipiens, referente me subscripto Sacro-
rum Rituum Congregationis Pro-Secretario, de spec-
iali gratia benigne annuit juxta preces, propositosque
Hymnos proprios Officio sanctae Caeciliae Virginia
Martyris a Benedictinis in Gallia addendos, uti
superiore in exemplari adnotantur adprobavit, die
duodecima Februarii M dccc lii

A. card. LAMBRUSCHINI.

Locus Sigilli

S, R. C. Prcefectus.

Dom. Grigli. S. R. C. Pro-Seer,

CATHOLIC BOOKS

PUBLISHED BY

PETER F. CUNNINGHAM,
216 South Third Street, Philadelphia.

J0^» The attention of the Public is respectfully called to the following CATA-
LOGUE of popular Catholic Works.

Jggjp" In consequence of the variation in the price of materials for book-making,
the following prices are liable to change as occasion requires.

rii

lie Year of Mary; or, Tlie True Servant of
the Blessed Virgin.

Translated from the French of Rev. M. D'Arville, Apostolic Prothonotary,
and published with the approbation of the Right Rev. Bishop of Phila-
delphia, the Most Rev. Archbishop of Baltimore, and the Most Rev. Arch~
bishop of New York. 1 neat 12mo volume.

Price— In cloth $1.50

In gilt edges 2.00

This is a delightful book ; brimful of sweet flowers ; a lovely garland in
honor of Mary our Mother and powerful intercessor before the throne of her
Son.

Well has the Magnificat said, "all generations shall call me blessed;" all
times, and in all lands, wherever the symbol, upon which her Divine Son
ransomed a wicked and undeserving world with his excruciating sufferings and
death, has a votary, her name, spotless and beautiful, shall be pronounced with
reverence, and her protection implored.

The tome before us is a collection of the honors paid to Mary by the groat
and good of all lands; by those who, with the diadem of earthly grahdeur
adorning their brows, and vexed political commonwealths to guard and pacify,
found time to honor the daughter of St. Anne, the beloved Mother of our Lord
and Saviour.

Buy the book. Read one or two pages. We promise a feast, a desire to read
the whole, a determination to do so. — Catholic Telegraph.

This work is divided into seventy-two Exorcises, corresponding with the
number of years which the Blessed Virgin passed on earth, with a consecration

(3)

4 Published by Peter F. Cunningham,

to Mary of the twelve months of the year, in reference to her virtues ; also a
method of using certain of the Exercises by a way of devotion for the "Month.
of Mary," a No vena in honor of the Immaculate Conception, and other matters
both interesting and advantageous to the true servant of Mary, and those who
would become *).

" Baltimore, April 6, 1865.

"We willingly unite with the Ordinary of Philadelphia and the Metropolitan
of New York in approving 'The Year of Mary,' republished by Peter F. Cun-
ningham, of Philadelphia.

"M. J. SPALDING,

"Archbishop of Baltimore."

A work presented to the Catholics with such recommendations does not need
any word of encouragement from us. — Pilot.

This work meets a want long ungratified. The devotional Exercises which
make up the book are ingeuiously arranged in reference, 1st, to each year of the
Blessed Virgin's long residence on earth ; 2d, to every Sunday and festival
throughout the year. The Exercises are therefore seventy-two in number, cor-
responding to the generally received belief of the duration of her terrestrial life.

The First Exercise is thus appropriated to the Immaculate Conception, and
may be used both for the 8th of December and for the first day of the year.
The seventy-second celebrates the Assumption, and maybe profitably read on
the loch of August, and on the last day of the year.

Each Instruction is prefaced by a text from holy writ, and followed by an
example, a historical fact, a practice and a prayer.

The Approbations are:

1st. By the Roman Theological Censor.

2d. By a favorable letter from his Holiness Gregory XVI.

3d. By the recommendatory signatures of the Archbishops of Baltimore and
New York, and the Bishop of Philadelphia.

This Devotional is a deeply interesting and practical manual, and Mrs. Sadlier,
who has very skilfully reduced the originally free translation into graceful con-
formity to the original, has rendered the Christian public a most essential ser-
vice. We wish it the widest circulation. — N. Y. Tablet.

"The Year of Mary*' is one of the most beautiful tributes to the Mother of
God that a Catholic family could desire to have. We are free, however, to
confess our partiality in noticing any book that treats of the pre-eminent glory
of her whom God exalted above all created beings.

But, independently of this consideration, the present volume can be recom-
mended on its own special merits. Besides being replete with spiritual instruc-
tion, it presents a detailed account of the life of the Blessed Virgin from the
Conception to the Assumption, and views her under every possible aspect, both,
as regards herself and her relations with man. It lays down the rules by
which we are to be guided in our practical devotions towards her ; displays its
genuine characteristics, and indicates the sublime sentiments by which we
ought to be actuated when we pay her our homage, or invoke her assistance.

"The Year of Mary" contains seventy-two Exercises, in accordance with the
received opinion of the Church that the Blessed Virgin lived that number of
years on earth. In these instructions, the reader shall learn her life, her pre-
rogatives, her glory in Heaven, and her boundless goodness to mankind. We
would like to see this book in every Catholic family in the c mntry. It is impos-
sible for us to honor the Mother of God sufficiently well. But in reading this
book, or any like it, we must ever bear in mind that acts, not mere professions
of piety, should be the distinctive marks of "the true servant of the Blessed
Virgin," and that she is really honored, only in so far as we imitate her virtues
for the sake of Him through whom alone we can hope for eternal life.

The name of Mrs. Sadlier is familiar to the public; her talents as an authoress
are too well known to need any eulogy here ; she is an accomplished lady, and
has faithful y done her part. As to the publisher, Mr. Cunningham, we Fay,
without flattery, that he has done a good work in presenting this excellent
book to his fellow-Catholics, and with all our heart we wish him the fullest
measure of success to which this noble enterprise entitles him.— -The Monthly.

216 South Third Street, Philadelphia. 5

epilations of §!• Ignatius 5 or, '* The Spiri-
tual Exercises" expounded;

By Father Siniscalchi, of the Society of Jesus.

Published with the approbation of the Right Rev. Bishop of Philadelphia.
1 vol. 12mo.

Price— Neatly bound in cloth, gilt back $1.50

The fame of the great founder of the Society of Jesus, would itself insure the
character of the above book of meditations, as one of the most meritorious kind.
But the greater part of Catholics of all nations have been made familiar with
the nature, object, and efficiency of these meditations in the Spiritual Retreats
conducted by tho Fathers of this Society, in every language, in every ^country,
and almost every town of Christendom. We are glad to see this valuable work
published in our country and tongue, and feel assured it will be heartily
welcomed by the multitudes who are familiar with it, if in no other way, at
least from the free use which is made of it in the Jesuit Missions, forming,
as it does, the basis of all those inspiriting exercises which constitute a
spiritual retreat. — Catholic Mirror.

This is the first American edition of this celebrated work, which has been
translated into nearly all tho European languages. It supplies a want long
felt in America. It is an excellent book of Meditations for the family, but it is
particularly adapted for those attending Retreats or Missions, especially those
given by the Jesuits, whose method this is. We cannot too strongly recommeud
this book to the Catholic public. — N&.& York Tabtet.

This is a timely publication of the Meditations of St. Ignatius, and the Catholic
community are indebted to the Philadelphia publisher for bringing the work
within their reach. In Europe, where it is well known, it would be superfluous
to do more than call attention to the fact of a new edition being published ; but
inasmuch as American Catholics have not had an opportunity of becoming very
familiar with the work, it may not be out of place to say a few words concern-
ing it.

The Meditations are twenty-two in number, each divided into three parts, and
in each division the subject is viewed, as it were, from a different point of view,
the last being always the most striking. Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven,
the Mysteries of the Saviour's Life, and the Happiness of Divine Love — these
are the subjects of the Saint's meditations, and every consideration germain to
such topics calculated to excite the feelings or influence the judgment, is brought
before the reader in simple, forcible language, or impressed on the mind by
means of a striking anecdote or opposite illustration. The volume is thickly
strewn with quotations from sacred and patritic writings, and the whole range
of profane history is laid under contribution to furnish material wherewith to
point a moral or enforce a truth.

No Catholic family should be without this book, and no Catholic library
should be depending on one copy. It is a noble edition to the ever-increasing
stock of Catholic devotional literature, and we hope tho publisher's judicious
venture will be successful. We must not omit to mention that the publication
has received the official sanction of the Right Rev. Bishop of Philadelphia. —
Metropolitan Record.

k!?acerdos Sancfificatug ; or, Discourses on
the Mass and Office,

With a Preparation and Thanksgiving before and after Mass for every
day in tho week Translated from the Italian of St. Alphousus Ligouri,

By the Rev. James Jones.
1 vol. 18mo.

trice— Neatly bound in cloth, gilt edgcj $1.00

6 Published by Peter F. Cunningham,

I. lie Life of St. Cecilia,

Virgin and Martyr.

Translated from the French of Father Guerauger, and published with the
approbation of the Right Rev. Bishop of Philadelphia.
1 vol. 12mo.

Price— In cloth $1.50

In cloth, gilt edge 2.00

T

L,

T

T

he Ufe of St. Teresa.

Written by herself.

Translated from the Spanish, by Rev. Canon Dalton, and published with
the approbation of the RigJU Rev. Bishop of Philadelphia. 1 vol.
12mo., neatly bound in cloth.

j/rice— In cloth $1.50

In cloth, gilt edge 2.00

lie Life of St. Catherine of Sienna.

By Blessed Baymond of Capua, her Confessor.

Translated from the French, by the Ladies of the Sacred Heart. With
the approbation of the RigJU Rev. Bishop of Philadelphia. 1 vol.
12mo., neatly bound in cloth.

Price— In cloth $1.50

In cloth, gilt edge 2.00

ife of St. Margaret of Cortona.

Translated from the Italian, by John Gilmary Shea, and published with
the approbation of the Right Rev. Bishop of Philadelphia. 1 vol. 16mo.,
neatly bound in cloth, gilt backs.

Price 80 cents.

lie Life of St. Angela Merici of Brescia,
Foundress of the Order of St. Ursula.

By the Abby Parenty.

With a History of the Order in Ireland, Canada and the United States,
by John Gilmary Shea. Published with the approbation of the Right
Rev. Bishop of Philadelphia. 1 vol. IGmo., cloth, gilt back.

Price '. 80 cents.

lie Life of Blessed Mary Ann of Jesus,

de Parades y Flores. "The Lily of Quito."
By Father Joseph Boero, S. J.

Translated from tho Italian by a Father of the Society of Jesus, and pub-
lished with the approbation of the Right Rev. Bishop of Philadelphia.
1 vol. lbmo., neatly bound in cloth, gilt back.

Price 80 cents.

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